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gence, and five or six days after the mating the female moth begins to oviposit. 



The egg is elHptical, measuring about 1-50 of an inch in length and in .43 

 mm. in width. The shell is pear'ly white in color and slightly roughened. Through- 

 out the embryonic development the egg gradually changes from a white to a yel- 

 low-color. About 3 or 4 days before hatching the developing larva becomes visi- 

 ble inside the shell. After it is out of the shell it appears white and clear. After 

 the larvae have emerged from the eggs, they are usually quiet for a short time. 

 Soon they become active, and upon close examination they will be found crawling 

 over the combs in an attempt to find an entrance before they are detected by the 

 bees. The entrance is made at the top of the cell-wall between the cei'ls. When 

 the center of the comb is reached, the larvae leave their tunnels and wander over 

 the bottom of the empty cells, or in the case of combs containing honey or pollen, 

 they tunnel along the midrib from cell to cell. If they are disturbed, they seek 

 their tunnels, which they re-enter for protection against their enemies. After 

 the midrib has been destroyed, the larvae begin to work on the walls of the cells, 

 the ones farthest from the light being the first to be destroyed. Soon the center 

 of the combs begins to appear as a solid mass of tangled refuse, discarded wax, 

 and silk cocoons. 



After the larvae have completed their growth, they seek a place where they 

 can pupate in safety; sometimes the ends of the feeding galleries may be slightly 

 enlarged and closed in to serve as a cocoon. The cocoon may be spun in the re- 

 fuse under the comb, between the combs and the walls of the hive, or in any cre- 

 vices near at hand. 



Sometimes the larvae seek to enter in a tight place where they can chew, in 

 order to construct a cavity, and pupate with better protecion. 



At any time from early spring to the middle of October the examination of a 

 colony is likely to reveal this insect in ail its stages. In protected hives the devel- 

 oping stages may continue the whole year without interruption. Usually the win- 

 ter is passed with one-third of the insects in the pupal stage, and the remainder in 

 the larval stage. 



The maximum number of moths which mature from the over-wintering 

 larvae and pupae appear about the 15 of April to the 15 of May. The moths are 

 very active, and soon after mating they begin oviposition. Usually 12 days are re- 

 quired for the eggs of this brood to hatch. It will be seen by this that it does not 

 take very much time to have a colony of bees infested with this pest in its larval 

 stage. 



Of the natural enemies of the bee-moth, the most important and most reliable, 

 is the honey-bee itself. 



In the absence of any other natural enemies of importance, the measure of 

 artificial control must be made all the more efi^ective if the bee-keeper is to free 

 his apiary from the pest. 



One of the best methods of artificial control, and one upon which the ma- 

 jority of bee-keepers depend, is the fumigation of combs and honey. The gas is 

 able to penetrate material, that it is not possible to treat in any other way. 



Among fumigators used to treat the combs infested with the larvae of the 

 bee moth are the following, which are very effective. 



(i) Sulphur, which is used by many bee-keepers because it is cheap and 

 does not require so much care as other fumigators or disinfectants in use. 



(2) Carbon bisulphide. In evaporating the bisulphide gives off fumes that 



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