] ottr)ial of Agriculture . [i i July, 1910. 



Clothes Moths. 



All of these moths belong tf) the family Tineidoe and most of them to 

 the genus Tinea. They embrace such insects as carpet moths, fur moths, 

 and other destructive species. Their larvae cause considerable damage 

 to clothes of all kinds, the webbed case of the common clothes moth con- 

 taining the caterpillar and the pupa being only too well known to need 

 description here. Any clothes, furs, woollens, or feathers, left exposed 

 for any length of time are almost sure id be attacked in the .warm 

 weather. 



Remedies. — It is adxisable to fretjueiitlv examine and thoroughlv brush 

 all fabrics, especially in the summer, as this will destroy any eggs or 

 larvge that happen to be on them. If clothes are to be stored it is ad^•is- 

 able to put them in a close-fitting box, in which camphor or naphthaline 

 should be placed, and spray .some benzine on the clothes three or four times 

 during the summer. 



Cloth-covered furniture is often attacked by this moth, but a thorough 

 spraying with benzine will have beneficial results. As benzine is highly 

 inflammable it should be used with great care. Some writers recommend 

 that the furniture should be sponged very carefully with a dilute solution 

 of corrosive sublimate in alcohol, made just strong enough so as not to 

 leave a white stain. If furs are attacked fumigating n airtight boxes 

 with bisulphide of carbon is an excellent remedy ; but care must be taken 

 when using this chemical, as it is highly combustible. Cool storage has 

 also been tried with excellent results. Moths can alwavs be attracted by 

 a light at night, and in this way destroved. Where moths are found in- 

 festing warehouses this method might with a<lvantage be adopted. 



{To be cotitiiiticd .) 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



Destkuctiox of Comhs bv VV.ax Moth Larvae. — W.P. writes : — " During the 

 summer a friend of mine noticed the honey escaping from one of his hives. 

 Thinking that it might have been caused by the heat a covering of green boughs 

 was made, and shortly afterwards the dripj)ing ceased. Recently, however, when 

 robbing this particular hive, it was with difHculty separated from the table on 

 which it had been standing. It was found to contain no honey, and between the 

 comb and the table it was simply a net-work of grubs of a dark-grey colour." 



Answer. — The grubs are larvae of the Wax Moth {Galleria mellonella), and 

 the comb of bee-hives is their natural food. When the grubs have attained their 

 full size they spin a cocoon, from which, in due course, the perfect insect — the 

 Wax, or Bee, Moth emerges. This moth is about three-auarters of an inch in 

 length, the upper wings are brownish grey, the lower ones light grey. It may be 

 seen on w.irm summer evenings hovering about the hives ready to enter and deposit 

 eggs in any hive not sufficiently strong in bees to defend the combs against the 

 intruder. Where black bees are kej)!, particularly when in box hives, Wax Moths 

 sometimes do considerable damage, but, as a rule, colonies which allow them to 

 get a footing are weak or demoralized, queenless, or diseased beforehand. There 

 is no way of preventing them entering hives or of destroying grubs which are 

 already in the combs, because anything likely to prove fatal would also kill the bees 

 and brood. Pure bred Italian bees will not permit Wax Moths to deposit eggs 

 in their hives, and will even tear open the tunnels and remove the grubs if a 

 comb with Wax Moth larvae from another hive is given them. In apiaries number- 

 ing hunflreds of colonies of Italian bees, the grubs are never found in the hives. 

 The only way of dealing with this pest is to change from black or common bees, 

 to Italian, and from box hives to frame hives. 



