44 SOUTHERN BEE CULTURE 



pose. The question is often asked, "Why is it that my apiaries are so 

 hard to build up in early spring? The brood-nests are large and well 

 filled, but the old bees seem to disappear in great numbers." 



If you will go out in the forest under the trees where the 'bees are 

 working upon the blossoms you will at once locate the trouble by seeing 

 birds of various kinds flying about over and through the tree-tops, sitting 

 on the boughs, devouring bees in jgreat numbers. If you are not satisfied 

 from what you can see from the ground, climb up into the tops of the 

 trees where the slaughter is taking place, and you will see the birds seiz- 

 ing the bees by the waist, and, with a quick stroke against the Hmbs, the 

 bees' abdomens are removed and fall to the ground, and their waists are 

 swallowed. This will be done so constantly by the same bird that their 

 depredations upon the bees will be found to be very great. The birds will 

 catch the bees near the end of the bill, so there will be no chance for 

 them to sting them; but the helpless bees will twist around in their bills 

 and try to sting themselves loose; but their abdomens are quickly re- 

 moved, and then they make a sweet morsel for the hungry birds. I have 

 sat in tree-tops many times and watched the destruction of my bees going 

 on, and wished that I could come to their assistance; but the multitude of 

 their enemies was so great that it was impossible. I have seen these birds 

 flock into my apiajies in spring during a cool spell, so that the bees could 

 not' get out in the field, and kill so many of the bees before I was aware of 

 it that the covers on the hives would be nearly covered with their abdomens, 

 and piles of them would be lying on the alighting-boards. I have killed 

 these birds and picked off their feathers and scattered them, birds and 

 all, on the covers, and yet they would catch and eat bees right beside, 

 their dead comrades. TJiis depredation will not happen in the apiary if 

 the birds can get them in the forest. While there are many kinds of birds 

 that are enemies of bees, the redbirds seem to be the worst of all. My 

 observation in that they eat more bees than any other birds, and they are 

 numerous all over the South, and wherever they are seen they may be 

 known as the honey-bee's worst enemy. There is a small long white- 

 breasted bird with long bill and gray beak which appears in the South in 

 early spring, and disappears before winter; and it stays mostly in branches 

 of trees, and raises its young there, in nests made of moss, feeding mostly 

 upon insects. These birds (I know no name for them) are great enemies 

 of bees. 



Bee-martins, cat-birds, whitter-birds, cow-pea birds (as they are better 

 known), and many others I know no name for get their share of bees. 



Insects, such as dragon-flies, ants, spiders, etc., come in for their share 

 of the bees; and mice wdll eat them when food is scarce. And, lastly, 

 the bee-moth (or wax-moth it should be called) comes then and eats up 

 the comb which they built to live, store honey, and rear the young in, but 

 they will not destroy the comb in strong colonies with prolific queens; 

 for the bees will keep them from making progress in their comb. The 

 old or flying moths may be seen about the hives during warm weather, es- 



