28 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



they commit in some seasons, that their com- 

 plete destruction would be one of the most in- 

 estimable benefits which could be bestowed 

 upon every one who makes the culture of the 

 bee his principal study. 



Entomology designates two species of wax 

 moths, the galleria cereana, and the gallerid al- 

 vearia. Tlie former is the species now under 

 our consideration, and is known by the name of 

 the wax moth, and in France by that of fausses 

 teignes, or false moths. It takes its name of 

 galleria, according to Fabricius, because its lar- 

 va or worm moves only in a gallery or tube, 

 composed of threads covered with its excrement 

 and with wax. This moth is of the genus pha- 

 kna;, and is seen on the wing only at twilight 

 its color is of a darkish grey, with small spots 

 or blackish streaks on the interior edge of its 

 ..upper wings; it is about six lines in" length. 

 "When the female is about to lay her eggs, she 

 steals into the hive at night, and deposits them 

 on the interior sides of the hive, or even some- 

 times on the side combs; it then leaves the hive, 

 and it is supposed that it dies soon afterwards. 

 From every egg biu'sts forth a Avorm, w^hich in 

 its turn becomes a moth. It appears at first in 

 the form of a larva, and it is in this state that 

 it commits such terrible ravages. This larva 

 is of a palish white; the head brown, having 

 sixteen feet, by which it regulates its motions. 

 It spins the silken thread, with which it con- 

 structs its galleries. Tliese galleries or tubes 

 are at the first composed of but a few threads; 

 but in proportion as the insects advance in 

 growth, they consolidate them by augmenting 

 the number of the threads, and adding to them 

 a part of their excrements, and some particles 

 of wax. 



Their galleries increase insensibly in diame- 

 ter, and become eventually sufficiently solid to 

 protect their soft body, which has no particular 

 defence from the stings of the bees. It is by 

 these means that they penetrate with impunity 

 into the very midst of their armed enemies, 

 against whom they are not provided with any 

 means of defence, having no oifensive weapon; 

 and the body, with the exception of the head, 

 which is enclosed in a kind of cuirass, being in- 

 capable of resisting the slightest attack. 



When the time is arrived appointed by nature 

 for their metamorphoses, the larva retires be- 

 tween the platform and the interior edge of the 

 hive, if it be made of wood, or between the 

 sides, or in a comb that has been abandoned by 

 the bees. They spin a web or cocoon in which 

 they envelop themselves, and in which they un- 

 dergo the metamorphosis into moths or phale- 

 ufe. They then leave the liive to propagate 

 their species, and the female being fecundated 

 by the male, steals in her turn into the hive, de- 

 posits her eggs, and thus lays the foundation 

 for those ravages by her progeny, for which her 

 predecessors have distinguished themselves. 



It is generally at the close of April or the be- 

 ginning of May, that this destructive moth first 

 shows itself. The hives should therefore at that 

 particular period be carefully watched; for if a 

 .single moth obtains an entrance, it will lay a 

 sufiicient number of eggs to cause its total ruin. 



If the hive be weak in population, it is in- 

 evitably lost, unless tlie proprietor succeeds in 

 destroying all the larvfE of tlie moths, and if 

 they have made any great progress, there is no 

 other resource for the bees than to drive them 

 into another hive, provided that the season be 

 so favorable, that they can collect a sufficiency 

 of food for their support. It is the opinion of 

 certain French apiarians, that the greater or 

 less elevation of the hive has a particular effiect 

 in promoting or destroying altogether the in- 

 roads of the wax moths. Tliey have, however, 

 advanced that opinion, without stating their 

 grounds for it; and Ave cannot possibly divine 

 what influence the lowness or the height of a hive 

 can have upon the attack of an insect, which by 

 means of its wings can mount or descend at 

 pleasure, and which is sometimes seen even 

 crawling upon the ground. The preference, 

 hoAvever, is giA'en to the Ioav position of the 

 hive; and on this subject Fcburier thus expres- 

 ses himself: "If the poiuilation of the hive be 

 numerous and tlie entrance of the liive very low^ 

 the bees will stoutly resist the admission of their 

 enemies; and if some have taken adA^antage of 

 a moment of neglect to introduce themselves 

 into the liiA'e, they attack them the moment they 

 commence their ravages, destroy them, and re- 

 pair tlie damage Avhichhas been committed." 



Lombard suggests a singular metliod of de- 

 stroying the wax moth; Avhich is, to place an 

 old liiA'e filled Avith combs in the apiary, to 

 Avhicli the moths Avill repair, from an instinc- 

 tive sense of personal safety; the older the Iiive, 

 the better. "VVe have tried this experiment and 

 to our cost. Having a small apiary at Peckham, 

 and knowing that the neighborhood was much 

 infested Avith the wax moth, Ave placed in it an 

 old hive, according to the instructions of Mr. 

 Lombard. The moths Avere not long before 

 they took possession of it, but we found that in- 

 stead of remedying the evil, Ave had sadly ag- 

 gravated it. The moths increased Avonderfully 

 in the old hiA'c, for it w^as a comfortable nursery 

 for them; and if they had confined themseh'es 

 to the old hiA^e, w^e Avould have left them in quiet 

 possession of their domicile, but in a very short 

 time, we found that they had extended their 

 A'isits to every one of the liives, and on turning 

 up one of them, the moths issued out in such 

 numbers that they resembled a swarm of bees. 

 We hurried aAvay with the hiA^e into the stable- 

 yard, and we Avere glad to see the poultry de- 

 A'our every one, which had not taken to its 

 Avings. 



The death-headed moth, {SpMnx atropos, 

 Linn.) is a great enemy to the bee, but it is so 

 rare in this country, that it scarcely deserA'es 

 being mentioned. In some tlimates, however, 

 it is considered as a most redoubtable enemy, 

 for according to Lombard and Huber, it not only 

 robs the bees of their provisions, but the A^u-y 

 sight of it frightens them to death. Mr. Lom- 

 bard, speaking of this moth, says the art Avhich 

 the bees employ in averting the attacks of this 

 insect is so extraordinary, that the Vaubaus of 

 the present age might take their models from 

 them. Wlien tliey see, says Mr. Lombard, one 

 of lliese sphinxes approaching, they immedi- 



