Breeding the British

LIBRARY

REPRINTED FROM “ BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.”

BREEDING THE

BRITISH GOLDEN BEE |
in Ripple Court Apiary.

| HOW MATING
————5 #7
~ CONTROLLED.

i By
| F. W. L. SLADEN,
F.E.S. ~~

“There can be no doubt that crossing, with the aid of rigorous selection during
several generations, has been a potent means in modifying old races and in forming

new ones.’’—CHARLES DARWIN.

Breeding together successive generations
of bees that gather the most honey, with
the object of obtaining and improving a
variety that will gather more honey than
ordinary bees in the British climate—
which during the season of bee-activity
is cooler, more windy, and more cloudy
than that of other countries in which bees
are bred—has been carried on in Ripple
Court Apiary, near Dover, from about
1892 until the present time. The work
was begun with English-Italian hybrids,
these having been found often to produce
larger honey-yields than ordinary English
bees and the queens to be more prolific.
During 1901, 1902, and 1903 these bees
were crossed with a good strain of Ameri-
can Goldens. Since 1903 none but queens
bred in -Ripple Court Apiary have been
allowed to produce queens and drones
there. In order to ensure the fathers
being of selected parentage, it was found
necessary to maintain the golden colour,
because by no other means can the pro-
geny of queens mated with drones of
selected parentage be readily distinguished
from the progeny of those mated with ordi-
nary English black drones. A golden bee,
differing in many respects .from the
American variety, has been the result.

One new generation is bred each year.
About fifty golden-coloured queens, bred
the previous season from the best honey-
gathering parentages and producing
mostly or only golden-coloured workers,
have the honey-gathering characters of
their colonies carefully compared in May
and June, attention being also paid to
hardiness and prolificness. As many
drones as possible are bred from about
six or seven of the best of these queens
and the queens from three or four of the
very best, a few queens and drones being
also bred, chiefly earlier in the season,
from a particularly good breeding queen
or two of the previous year.

In recent years records have been made
of the colouring of-the workers produced:
by the queens mated at Ripple Court
Apiary under various conditions. These
records have shed some useful light on the-
conditions under which select matings take
place, making it possible to secure them
better and more easily than formerly.

f

The subjoined tables give the records
of the matings of all the golden-coloured
queens of known parentage, mated from,
and tested in, small nuclei in Ripple
Court Apiary in 1908 :—

QUEENS OF “v’’ PARENTAGE.

This parentage produced only golden-
coloured queens and workers.

o
:| =
a]. 83 ;
Se asls a
3 3 ek a Approximate proportion of . s
Ae Ba aise golden to intermediate g
Sle as oa coloured workers produced. o.
g\Assie~ <

Ei
1jJuly 19) R, |10 golden to 0 intermediate|12 days
2) ,, 22) R| 8 ” 2 ” 15 4,
3) 5, BiFI5 3 5 *, jo}
4) ,, 23) F| 0 a 10 aa LO» 45
5) ,, 24) F| 3 ” 7 ” 9
6 ,, 25) F/ 8 ” 2 ” 8

” ” ” ”
9 ,, 30) F|7 iy Sbright ,, DF 5
10) ,, 30) F| 5 a 5 intermediate) 9 ,,
lijAug. 4) F {10 3 0 sf Oy
12) ,, 4, F|7 ” 3 ” 9 4
13) ,, 4F|9 ” 1 ” 6 4
14), 4 F}1 ” 9 ” 9
15) ,, 4F)5 ” 5 ” T oy
16} ,, QFR/ 0 5 10 vs aa
17; ,, 9/FR/10 i 0 ai 8
18) ;,, QIFR] 8 a 2 3 Bas
19) ,, _9|FRI10 ” 0 oe a
20} ,, 17) R/10 i 0 +4 1S. 59
21; ,, 17) Rj10 by 0 # ia
22} ,, 17/ R10 oa 0 8 We as
23; ,, 17;R/9 i i. Me Le 5h
24) ,, 17R{9 ee 1 ne HG ops
25; ,, 17) R {10 5 0 " 16
26} ,, 19: R10 is ie} aa “HTS 35
27| ,, 19] R110 ~ 0 < aS oy
28) ,, 27; R] 3 F 7 6 15,

»Oto ” ” 027 ,,
31} ,,6to8] R | 9 i 1 . 19to2l1,,
321 ,, 8| R'10 és 0 e 1B a5

QUEEN oF “D’’ PARENTAGE.

This parentage produced only golden-
coloured queens and workers.

33|July 6|FRI 8 golden to 2 intermediate|16 days
QUEENS OF “A’’ PARENTAGE.

This parentage produced about nine
goldens to one intermediate.

34 July 12 FR 3 golden to E intermediate days

35jAug. 4) F/ 3 2 ; a [
6), 4F) 8, 2 ” 6
7) 5 4 'F)8 ” 2 ” 6
8} ,, IFRIO ,, 0 ” Lys
39] ,, QFR/9,, 1 ” tL yy
40\ ,, QFRI 2 ,, 8 » 8 si
gl ,, 17Ro ,, i) is 19

(2)

QUEENS OF “'R’? PARENTAGE.

This parentage produced about eight pang. a Be 20 golden to O intermediate/15 days.
goldens to two intermediates. Basept. Rio |” ; = ”
42\suly GER 8 golden to 2 intermediate 10 days. 54,,6t08 R{ 1 ,, a: es 22 to 24,

oT a” ” : Bs se ’
44) ii RlO |, o 2 re = QUEENS OF “T”’ PARENTAGE. .
45, ), 2iR| 9 .), rf al}, This parentage produced about six
46) ,, 2iF 10 ,, 0 re 24, | goldens to four intermediates.
‘ Oo» 55)July 20) R |All b’tw’n golden-and intermediate}17 days.
QUEENS OF “0”? PARENTAGE. Bel,” 231 F | 0 golden ee id iat ae a

This parentage produced about seven | 57| . 2)F/0 ,, 10 ” 20 ,,

ld é ain ge 58) ,, 25)F | 7 si 3 i 22,
goldens to three intermediates. {boi 2 olris ” 5 ” bo”
47\July 24) F | 1 golden to Qintermediate)12days. | Nore.—In most cases the jpatcem include some
48\ Aug. 17| B | 8 a 2 i a dark goldens, and the intermediates some
49) ,, 171R] 5 na 5 bal a bright intermediates. No blacks and very
50} ,, 221FRI 0 si bright ,, [ll yy few dark intermediates were produced. |

ANALYSIS OF sai ABOVE TABLES.
Free Matin; Less Free Mating | Restricted Mating
Weather Fy Weather (FR). | Weather (R). Sed
=
Mated i Inter- Inter- Inter- Inter-
" Golden. |. mediate. Golden, mediate. | Golden. | mediate. | Gen. | mediate.
“V" Parentage... 36 44 = = |) ate 2 54 46
“up” “ ag aa oe = 8 2 | pote ae 8 2
ae ee = 3 a = 3 7
ice a ee 10 0 16 4 | 19 1 45 5
5 “Q i 1 9 ok ee ' ax a i, 9
isa cope os 2 23 oe os 4 _ _— 12 28
All Parentages ........ 59 gs. !—a7 13 ‘37 3 123 97
3. (‘‘V” Parentage........ 32 18 28 12 119 il 179 41

a1 rte 19 il a1 9 | 10 i) 50 20
oa “on S| atoms = _ W 13 ! 24 16 41 29
4” (aul Parentages ........ 51 2 ill 66 a! 183 a7__li_270 | 90
JULY, AUG., and SEPT. :
All Parentages............ nH} | a | Eu | ee | 2 | 50 | oe | 187

PARTICULARS OF THE .WEATHER ON ALL
MATING DAYS AFTER JuLY 4, 1908.

July 6.—Temperature, 67 deg. at noon, |
65 deg. at 1 p.m., and 62 deg. at
3 p.m.; light S. wind and clear
sunshine all day. (FR.)

12.—Temperature, about 70 deg. be-
between 11 a.m. and 12.30 p.m.,
with light’ S.S.W. wind; inter-
mittent sunshine till 12.40, then
thunderstorm. (FR.)

15.—Temperature, 63 deg. at 12,
65 deg. at 1, 64 deg. at 1.30; fresh |
S.W. wind; rain till 12.40, then
sunshine. (R.)

19, 20, 21.—Temperature, 63 deg. to
64 deg. at 11 and 1; fresh N.E.
wind ; intermittent sunshine. These
days were almost exactly alike. (R.):

22._Temperature, 634 deg. at 1.40
and 63 deg. at 3.20; very light
S.E. wind, with clear sunshine all
day. (R.)

23.—68 deg. at noon, 70 deg. at 1.30,
71 deg. at 3.20; calm; sunshine
all day, hazy in afternoon. (F.)

24,—Maximum temperature, 74 deg. ;
very light S. wind; sunshine all
day. (F.) ;

25.—Maximum temperature, 77 deg.;
calm, rather cloudy. (F.) ;

28.—70 deg. at 1 p.m.; light N.E.
wind ; sunshine almost allday. (F.)

”

*

July 30.—71 deg., with light S. wind at -
1.20; sunshine all day. (F.)
Aug. 4.—75 deg, at 11.80 and 1; light
variable wind, almost continuous
sunshine. (I'.)
9.—72 deg. at 12.30, with fresh S.W.
wind; 72 deg. at 1.45, with light
—S.W. wind; sunshine till 1.45. (FR.)
17.68 deg. at 1.30; light N.E. wind,
_ almost continuous sunshine. (R.)
19.—64 deg. at 12.80, 643 deg. at
1.80, 64 deg. at 2; light N.E. wind
at 12.30 and 2, almost fresh at
1.30; a few more clouds than on

17th. (R.)
», 22.—66 deg. at noon, with strong

8.S.W. wind; 69 deg. at 1, with
fresh S. wind; 70 deg. at 1.30,
with light S. wind; 69 deg. at 2,
with no wind; almost continuous’
Sunshine from 1 to 3.80. This fine
Weather was in the centre of a
deep storm, rough weather imme-
diately preceding and following it.
(FR.)
», 27.—68 deg. at 1.30; strong W. wind;
intermittent sunshine. (R.) —
Sept. 6.—63 deg. at 12.30, with fresh W.
wind; 65 deg. at 1.15, with fresh
W. wind; 64 deg. at 1.30, with
fresh W. wind; 65 deg. at 1.45,’
with light W. wind’; intermittent
sunshine. (R.)
7.—634 deg. at 2.30, with fresh S.W.
wind; continuous sunshine. (R.)

”

ye

Sept. 8.—654 deg. at 11.30, with light
S.W. wind; 66 deg. at 1 and 1.30,
with fresh S.W. wind; sunshine
interrupted between 12.20 and
12.30, and at intervals later. (R.)

The thermometer was exposed in windy
places in the shade outside the apiary ;
the temperature inside the apiary was
generally about 1 deg. higher. Mr. S.
Miller has kindly allowed me to compare my
notes of sunshine with the records of his
self-registering instrument exposed at Deal.

The date a queen is stated to have been
mated was calculated as being two days
before the queen appeared to have begun
laying, except when that day was an un-
favourable one for queen-flight, and this
was the case only in September, in which
month some queens started laying several
days late, and a few, apparently fertilised,
did not lay at all. In many cases it was
not certain on which of two consecutive
days a queen began to lay.* The above-
listed mating days were, without excep-
tion, more favourable for flight than the
unmentioned days immediately preceding
and following them.

Workers having the three basal seg-
ments of the abdomen clear yellow and
the middle of the fourth segment yellow
are classed as golden-coloured; those
having the three segments yellow and the
middle of the fourth black are also classed
as golden. Bright intermediates have
the abdomen coloured as in pure Cyprians,
medium intermediates as in ordinary pure
Italians, and dark intermediates, as in a
cross between Italian and English bees.

It was calculated that about 20,000
drones emerged towards the end of June
in Ripple Court Apiary, about 30,000
during July, and about 5,000 in August—
altogether about 55,000. Roughly, about

80 per cent. of these had the first
four segments yellow. The remainder
had only the first three segments

yellow, and were probably a kind of
bright intermediate; as such they would
transmit some black “blood.”’ A few
dozen darker intermediate drones were
produced in June and July. In May a
few dozen black drones were produced
from intermediate-coloured queens, but
they were not seen in July or August.

The above tables, together with the
records— unfortunately not preserved
complete—of matings’from a number of
other hives in Ripple Court Apiary, and
in isolated spots near it, show that the
proportion of golden to intermediate bees
produced varies as the result of several
conditions.

Firstly, golden queens, bred from a
parentage (“V’’) that gave all goldens,

*It was only by taking thie fact into considera-
tion that a mnlieday could always be found two
days earlier. In some of the 1909 cases it was
definitely ascertained that laying did not com-
mence until three days after mating.

produced a larger proportion of goldens
than did golden queens bred from
parentages that gave some goldens and
some intermediates. The difference in
this respect between the parentage “V’”’
and the parentage “C,’? which gave a
large proportion of intermediates, was
very noticeable in a comparison between
many queens of these two parentages
mated in August and September, 1908,
from other hives.

Secondly, queens mated in August and
September produced a larger proportion
of goldens than those mated in June and
July, This has been noticed for some
years, and I believe is due partly to the
fact that drones in normal colonies in
neighbouring apiaries are turned out to
die at the end of the honey-flow (while in
Ripple Court Apiary they are kept several
weeks longer in colonies headed by vir-
gins, &c., and by other means), and partly
to another cause to be explained later.

Thirdly, a larger proportion of goldens
is produced from matings that take place
at a temperature of about 63 deg. on a
calm and sunny day, or in a slightly
higher temperature — namely, about

-THE BRITISH GOLDEN BEE.
THE GOLDEN-COLOURED QUEEN ANT WORKER.

64 deg. to 68 deg.—if there is wind, than
from those that take place in « high tem-
perature—namely, about 70 deg. or more.
This interesting fact was also noticed in
1907 and in the 1908 matings from other
hives. The obvious reason for it is that
the lower temperature and wind so re-
strict the flight of queens and drones that
the drones of neighbouring apiaries can-
not reach the queens of Ripple Court
Apiary, these being mated close to Ripple
Court Apiary by Ripple Court Apiary
drones. It is evident that by selecting
queens that have been mated in such re-
stricting weather for testing and breed-
ing purposes we have succeeded in breed-
ing bees by selection. This fresh help in
breeding bees by selection is likely to
prove a valuable one.

The fact that queen No. 28 (“V”
parentage), which was the only queen ‘in
the apiary that appeared to have been
mated on August 27 (a very windy day),
produced a smaller proportion of goldens
than of intermediates is noteworthy. I
hardly doubt that this queen was mated
by a dark drone from Ripple Court

(4)

Apiary. No. 54 may have been a similar
case. Excluding No. 28, we get the re-
markable ‘total of 1384 goldens to only six
intermediates from the fourteen matings
in restricted weather, and 116 goldens to
only four intermediates from the twelve
matings after the middle of August, of
queens bred from a parentage giving all
goldens.

Ripple Court Apiary is a very favour-
able spot for restricted mating. The sur-
rounding country is rather destitute of
trees, and is much swept by cool winds,
the prevailing north-easterly and south-
westerly winds both blowing off the open
sea, which is four and seven miles off
in these respective directions. Per-
fectly calm days are rare. On sunny
days in summer, when it is warm
inland, the maximum temperature is
generally about 5 deg. to 10 deg. lower
and the wind stronger than in warm
places inland. But there is more sun-
shine and the nights are warmer than
inland.* The apiary is now sheltered
from wind by a belt of trees and shrubs,
chiefly Austrian pine, goat willow, syca~
more, and lime, planted round it twelve
years ago. Whichever way the wind
blows, there is a sheltered area just out-
side the apiary, in which I believe many
queens are mated. ;

No bees are kept within half a mile of
Ripple Court Apiary, and not many
within two and a half miles. The nearest
bees have been very little affected by the
Ripple Court Apiary drones, most of them
being still black, and no goldens have been
produced. The queens are mated in June
and early in July before many Ripple
Court Apiary drones are on the wing.

As far as I have been able to observe,
most queens in Ripple Court Apiary are
mated between 12.30 and 2.30 p.m., this
being usually the warmest period of the

* To give some idea of the difference in climate
between this coast and inland, the following figures
have been extracted from the “ Weekly Weather
uae of the Meteorological Office, 1906, Appen-

ix f

35 YEARS’ AVERAGE TEMPERATURE.

July, August.
Average | Average | Average | Average
or maximum, ‘ininimum.|maximum.| minimum,
Dungeness.. 67°1¥ 70° = 67°5° 56°5°
Oxford..... 70°49 53°62 69°2° 529°
25 YEARNS’ AVERAGE SUNSHINE.
i 5 July. August.
Littlestone-on-Sea,
near Dungeness i 231 201 hours.
Oxford............ 203 185

On days that are warm and entny inland the
difference in maximum temperature between Dunge-
ness and Oxford is generally much greater than
these figures show, but on cold, dull days Dunge-
ness generally has a higher maximum than
Oxford. Notice that at Dungeness August is
warmer than July, but at Oxford July is warmer
than August. | :

The excessive sunshine, warm nights, and
numerous wild flowers are very favourable for bee-
rearing. Humble-bees are abundant, and many
rare and tender species of solitary bees are to be
found in the neighbourhood. new bee to
Britain, Sphecodes rubicundus, was discovered in
the grounds at Ripple Court in 1895, and another,
Cilissa melanura, at St. Margaret’s Bay in 1897.

day. On August 28, 1907, I saw a queen,
aged twenty-one days, enter a hive, bear-
ing the signs of having just mated, as
early as 11.10 a.m. The temperature was
then 65 deg., with scarcely any wind and
a clear sky. The previous day was one of

O

Diagram showing difference between a
range of flight of 1 mile and one of
4 mile (440 yards).

restricted flight, and it followed a long
period unfavourable for flight.

The latest time of day I have seen a
queen fly was at 5 p.m., on July 16, 1906.”
‘here had been a very strong S.W. wind
for four days, but on this day it mode-
rated a little between 4 and 5 p.m., and
the temperature, which had been no
higher than 64 deg., rose to 65 deg.
About 5 p.m. I also saw a number of
drones circling and darting about in the
air only four or five yards to the leeward
of a colony in the apiary; they continued
to do this for about five minutes, and
were evidently looking for queens. This
was an interesting case of extremely re-
stricted amorous flight, which was no
doubt fruitless, for no queens appeared to
have been mated on that day.

In “free’’? mating weather a queen is
seldom or never mated before the second
day of flight. For a queen to be mated
in restricting weather the preliminary
flights usually extend over several days.
The ages at which most queens in the
tables (pages 1 and 2) were mated in
“free’’ weather were six days and nine days
after hatching} none were mated before
the sixth day. In restricting weather most
queens were mated on the twelfth, thir-
teenth, and fifteenth days, and none be-
fore the twelfth day. Owing to an un-
usually prolonged period of unfavourable
weather in the early part of July, and to
another in the latter part of August and
beginning of September, many more queens
were mated after the fifteenth day in 1908
than in most years.

To secure many cases of restricted
mating it is necessary that the weather
be seldom warmer than restricted mating
weather, because queens and drones are
very susceptible to a fall in temperature,
and would not fly at low temperatures if

_* It is possible that queens and drones might be
induced to fly late in the day after other drones
have retired by keeping the hives in a cool and
dark place—for instance, a cellar or well—until
afternoon.

; (5)

they could get higher ones at intervals of
two or three days. Drones will fly at a
lower temperature, and probably have a
wider range of flight, than queens. ‘The
lowest. mating temperature is a degree or
two higher than the lowest flying tem-
perature.

I have never known mating to take
place on a day with a maximum tempera-
ture below 62 deg., and believe that it
does not readily occur at 63 deg. or
64 deg., unless there are a great many
drones and also relatively many queens
flying. When many queens are flying,
the air near the apiary is full of drones
darting about in all directions on their
trail. Many of the drones follow one
another, and they frequently form little
knots or flocks, which break up after a
few erratic swoops. If one lies on the
ground about fifty yards from the apiary
scanning the sky, the little flocks con-
stantly appear, but at 200 yards they are
seldom seen. The presence of so many
ardent drones near the apiary must in-
duce many matings to take place there

Restricted mating weather has un-
doubtedly aided the work of breeding bees
by selection in Ripple Court Apiary ever
since it began. I have found no evidence
that fertilisation is not well accomplished
when mating takes place in restricting
weather. Of course, some queens are lost
through adverse weather, but these are
no doubt the weaker ones, and this pro-
cess, continued for many generations,
should result in the development of a
very hardy breed of bees. There is every
indication that this has been the case in
Ripple Court Apiary. For several years
past no colonies have been lost in winter,
and there has been no spring dwindling.

1909 RESULTS.

The summer of 1909, although unfavour-
able for bee-keeping in most parts of
Britain, proved a better one for the par-
ticular work carried on in Ripple Court
Apiary than 1907 or 1908, and a larger
number of queens were reared and mated
than in either of those years.

C-0-9-) OOO

Diagram showing how a slightly restricted range of flight may completely

isolate an apiary for breeding purposes. —
apiaries and the circles ranges of flight.
queens and drones are not shown separate’

and quickly. I think it likely that many
of the matings on “free’’ days, and all
on restricted days, occur within about
200 yards of the apiary. -

In hunting for queens drones naturally
select open fields, and specially like rising
ground; they avoid shady places.

There is no doubt that on most “free”’
days flight is not altogether unrestricted.
There is reason to suppose that the range
of flight is smaller in August than in
July, on account of the lessened honey-
flow and activity. :

It was noticed that during a period of
restricted mating weather at the end of
June, 1908, many queens failed to get
mated; but during periods of similar
weather in August and September almost
all the queens were mated, despite the
fact that the honey-flow had ended, which
made mating more difficult. This seems
to indicate that the young drones flying
at the end of June may not have been
mature.

The dots represent imaginary
The renee of flight of
y-

Although two years’ observation had
convinced me of the usefulness of re-
stricted-mating weather, the 1908 records
that were preserved do not make it very
plain. The successful matings recorded
as occurring in July which seemed at-
tributable to restricted-mating weather
were very few, and it is not certain that
all of them did take place in restricting
weather. It is true that many successes
resulted from matings in restricting
weather after August 4, but there is no
evidence to show how far these were due
to mating late in the season. I therefore
hoped that, with suitable weather in 1909,
a larger number of matings might supply
some definite evidence as to the value of
restricted-mating weather. Fortunately
the weather could scarcely have been more
suitable, and the results, which are sum-
marised below, clearly indicate the im-
portance of restricted-mating weather.
The figures speak for themselves, but it
may be remarked that the strongest evi-

(6)

dence they furnish in support of the value
of restricted-mating weather is found in
the fact that the twenty-two matings at-
tributable to nearly a week of continuous
restricted-mating weather at the end of
July produced 27 per cent. more goldens
than the thirty-three matings attribut-
able to nearly two weeks of continuous
free-mating weather in August, the law
that July matings produce a smaller pro-
portion of goldens than August matings
having been, in these periods, overruled
by the weather. The fact that these
periods were preceded, separated, and fol-
lowed by periods during which no matings
were possible makes this result the more
reliable.

Restricted-mating weather is an at-
tribute peculiar to the British climate. It
scarcely occurs in euch great bee-keeping
countries as the United States, Italy, and
France. In England it reaches its best
on the coasts and in high localities. There
must be many good spots for restricted
mating in Scotland and Ireland.

The 1909 figures also show how unre-
liable and sometimes misleading an in-
sufficient number of observations may be
in an investigation of this kind.

LIST OF THE MATING DAYS AT RIPPLE COURT

APIARY IN 1909 aFTER JULY. 5, WITH THE

COLOUR RESULTS FROM THE 123 TESTED

QUEENS THAT APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN
MATED ON THESE DAYS.

og Approximate pro- =
82 jortion of Golden- gn
x |ax]}2 es .) Coloured and Inter- ok
FS 6 & = @| mediate-Coloured vee
zs B mips S| Workers Produced. g ge
& leslseelai.slelas| S88
es GI A
= PSigss/3|s3/3/88| 35°
te |S les is) ss &
Ae (Oo ;Ssag die
yuyeirel 4 [13 zit 410166 { in Ra
” ” to i om :
4 FR : 2 i 58 (in gata
"ashe | 5 | 333) ivf Tito 39 { tin R weather)
« 19) FR) 9 | 30,, BI 82 to us { ; %
», 20] FR] 11 | 52,, 58 (in FR weather)
"olR| 21 7,, 13
», 28| RB 6 | 40,, 20 72%
»» 29) R 5 | 46,, 4) 158 to ea{ (in R weather) 4
"3ajR}| oj—;— | ‘
Aug.1| R 9 | 65 ,, 25
e 3 re é 16 7 20 39%
” oFRi 2] 62) at 63to 97 4 ia FR weather)
7|/FR) 1 §,, 5
8&9)/FR) 0 |—,, —
ule] 4 [26% 14
” a%- 50%
a 1 £ & a # 85 to 85 { (in F weather)
15} F} 1 | 0,4, 10
*4a7/FRI 0 }—,, —
» 28| R ) 15 Queens, evi-)
», 29| R | dently mated |
Sep. 3 B on these ae | ‘ 937
a i R STane ik | 140 to 10) Gin R weather)
“,, 12; R | various dates ©
in Septetnber. J

F = Free mating weather. FR = Less free mating
weather. R = Restricted mating weather.
All the queens, except two, were bred

from parentages producing only golden-

coloured workers. Ninety-three of the
queens were grand-daughters of “V”’ and
twenty-eight were grand-daughters of
“A” (see page 1). ‘The conditions as re-
gards isolation and drone-breeding did not
differ materially from those in 1908. All
the drones were bred from golden-coloured
queens, and roughly about 80 per cent. of
them from queens producing only golden-
coloured workers.

The proportion of goldens to inter-
mediates ‘produced by each union could
only be approximately estimated; more-
over, it seemed to vary a little. Most of
the 1908 unions producing golden majori-
ties were re-tested by a more accurate
method in June, 1909; it was then found
that several of the 8 to 2 were nearer 7
to 3. The result from No. 55 (1908)
was unique; probably a second testing
would have shown it to be all goldebs
or all intermediates. It may be observed
here that every year a few of the golden-
coloured queens bred from parentages
producing some goldens and some inter-
mediates had the scutellum and the tip of
the abdomen darker than in typical
golden-coloured queens and were evidently
heterozygous.

Another question I set myself to inves-
tigate in 1909 was how far the greatest
degree of isolation obtainable would affect
results. For this purpose five virgin
queens from parentages producing only
goldens, and two or three hundred drones
also from parentages producing only
goldens, were placed in baby-nuclei at
Hope Farm, a very isolated spot on
the open downs close to the sea-cliffs,
about midway between the villages of
Kingsdown and St. Margaret’s Bay.
Careful inquiry in the neighbourhood
failed to reveal the existence of any
colonies of bees within a mile of Hope
Farm, and as the spot is rather more than
half surrounded by sea, it follows that
there were fewer bees by more than a
half living beyond that distance
than in an equally thickly. populated dis-
trict inland. One of the queens appeared
to have mated on August 4; she produced
only intermediate-coloured workers. Two
more queens appeared to have mated on
August 7; one of them produced only
intermediates, the other produced one
golden to nine intermediates. The two
remaining queens appeared to have mated
on August 14; they both produced inter-
mediates only. Evidently none of these
queens mated with golden-coloured drones,
the extent of isolation not being nearly
sufficient to ensure pure mating.

I do not know how far queens and
drones can fly—in America workers have
been observed to fly four to seven miles
in search of food*—but I would not rely
on isolation for pure mating anywhere iu

*See Gleanings
page 877.

in Bee-Culture, vol. xxxvii.,

(17 )

Britain, except on an isolated island. ,

Supposing three miles were the limit of:
flight of queens and drones, one would
have to ascertain by careful inquiry that
no bees were kept within a radius of over

six miles, and then one could not be sure
' that no colonies existed in hollow trees or
in buildings, or that swarms might not
settle in the district. :

CONCLUSION.

The foregoing evidence leaves no
room for doubt that the British Golden
bee is bred by selection in the strict
sense of the term that plants and
animals in which improvement has been
made have been -bred by selection, the
selection of the fathers having been
effected by colour,* aided by (1) large num-

Breeders of every kind of animal and
plant are agreed that the best way to

improve a character is to select and breed

for that character only in every successive
generation. Consequently I have had to
rather neglect other objects, as, for in-
stance, the improvement of temper. Yet
the temper of British Goldens has be-
come gentle of its own accord, probably
as the result of in-breeding, and 1t is
doubtful if it could have been improved
any better by selection: even the hybrids
are better-tempered than ordinary beés:
No attempt has been made to increase
the golden colour, and it does not extend
over so large a portion of the body as in
some American Goldens. There is, how-
ever, one character, the quality called
“constitutional vigour,’’ which no breeder

RIPPLE COURT APIARY.

‘bers of drones, (2) isolation as far as is‘

practicable, (3) restricted-mating weather,
and (4) mating late in the season.

As was stated at the commencement of
these notes, the breeding by selection has
been carried on with the object of
improving the honey-producing char-
acter in the British climate, and each
spring the best honey-gatherers have been
very carefully selected for breeding pur-
poses from the pure stock bred the pre-
vious year. The result has been a steady
improvement noticed, not only in Ripple
Court Apiary, but in the reports received
from people in different parts of the
kingdom who have tried British Goldens.t
,.) For details of this method of breeding by selec-
tion, see my papers in the British Bre JOURNAL,
vol. xxxiv., page 132, and vol. xxxv., pages 21 to 23.

+ See Sladen’s ‘3
tehth edition © Cetlogae of Bees and Queens,

can afford to ignore, and which I regard
as of the greatest importance in bees.
Fortunately, this character is closely asso-
ciated with honey-production; it is also
connected with hardiness, prolificness, and
disease-resisting: power, and all these good
qualities have been worked for with suc-
cess. There are many indications that
British Goldens are growing very hardy:

‘the golden-coloured bees were noticed to

be busily bringing in honey and pollen on
several days in May, 1909, when the tem-
perature was only 52 deg. to 54 deg. with
a strong breeze; there was a marked
diminution in the propottion of queens
that failed to get mated in Ripple Court
Apiary this year, and thete is good reason
for believing that sévetal queens were
mated at the beginning of September in a
temperature of about 61 deg., which is

(8)

lower than that noted in any previous
year. No difficulty has been found in
maintaining great prolificness in spring,
which is so valuable a feature in good
Italians.

A great many good reports, some of
them from very cold and bleak localities,
have been received respecting the half-
bred bees produced by British Golden
queens mated to ordinary native drones.*
In many cases these bees have proved ex-
traordinarily industrious, hardy, and pro-
lific. With bees, as with cattle, sheep,
poultry, and fruit, the greatest profit is
often obtained from half-breds. It is for-
tunate that this is the case, because, in
ordinary circumstances, pure mating is so
rare and uncertain that, in introducing a
new breed into his apiary, the bee-keeper
who works for honey is compelled to let
it cross with the local variety. The cross-
ing imparts energy, which seems to result
from the blending of the golden and black
colours, or of characters associated with
them. This added energy, which means
so much more honey gathered, would have
been lost had the bred bee been black.
Besides, it has been shown that it would
be very difficult, if not impossible, to
breed a black bee by:selection in this
country.

ADDITIONAL NOTES.

Like ordinary English black bees, British
Goldens are easily shaken from their combs
and are inclined to run about the hive
when disturbed. In these particulars
they differ and may be distinguished from
American Goldens and from Italians.

The objection may be raised that, con-
sidering the impossibility of knowing
which drone out of thousands a queen may
meet, the breeding by selection on the
male side cannot be properly accomplisued.
But if we look at the work vf plant
breeders we see that a similar uncertainty
often exists as to which flower will supply
the pollen by which the seed is fertilised.
Further, in cases where characters that
do not show themselves in the flowers, such
as the size, shape, or other qualities of
seeds or fruits, are bred for, the selection
of flowers is useless. It is only essential
that no flower shall be employed that is
not of the selected parentage or strain.
I think that even were it possible to
select single drones for breeding from, it
would not be advisable, for we may be
sure that the honey-bee depends partly
upon the natural selection of drones for
its vigour and usefulness. It is not

* Sladen’s “Catalogue of Bees and Queens,’
tenth edition. .

asserted that one drone transmits exactly
the same characters as another, but this
uncontrolled element of variation is re-
duced to a negligible quantity by the em-
ployment of pure stock and continuous
careful selection.

Of late years much progress’ has been
made in the general science of breeding,
and one of the valuable points that have
been brought to the front is thé import-
ance of breeding from specimens that have
been proved to be best able to transmit
their desirable qualities to their offspring.
In the work carried on in Ripple Court
Apiary every queen bred from has, of.
course, been proved to produce industrious
and vigorous workers; but it is desirable
to go further, and to breed from queens
that have been proved to be best able to
transmit to their queen-daughters the
power to produce such workers and any
other qualities bred for. For example,
the colonies produced by the daughters of
the “V’’ queen (all of which were golden-
coloured), when tested for utility and
vigour in 1909, did much better, on the
average, than the colonies produced by
the golden-coloured daughters of the “C”’
queen; consequently; a great number of
queens were bred from the “V’” queen
and her daughters in 1909, but none were
bred either from the “C’’ queen or from
any of her daughters. It is true that
this method of breeding increases in-breed-
ing, but its value for fixing, maintaining,
and improving any particular type is un-
deniable, and breeders of other animals
have found that the danger of deteriora-
tion resulting from close in-breeding is not
so great as has been supposed, provided
the breeding stock is vigorous and healthy.
So far no sign of any ill-effect of in-breed-
ing has been detected in the British
Golden breeding stock.

Up to the present the working of this
method of breeding has been somewhat
hampered by the work of quickly develop-
ing a distinctly British variety, this having
involved selecting a fresh generation each
year; but now that British Goldens have
become established as a separate breed,
the work of selection may well be spread
over two years if it can be accomplished
more thoroughly. All the breeding queens
selected in 1909, also a number of the
daughters of each of them, are being win-
tered. Tho testing of these daughters for
utility and vigour in 1910, together with:
the re-testing of the breeding queens them-
selves, will probably show very clearly
which are the best of the breeding queens,
and from these best queens I hope to breed
largely.

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