NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



July 18, 1832. 



f lom Ihe JMussacliuicUs Agricullural I'.opository ami Journal. 



BEE-MOTH. 



The best method of Dcstroijin^ the Bee-moth, or of 

 Preventing its Ravages among Bees. 

 The whole tribe of moths and butterfiifs propa- 

 gate their species by eggs, which the feiimles de- 

 posit iu situations and substances in wliicli the off- 

 spring caterpillar may find its appropriate food, the 

 moment it is disclosed. The female moth is en- 

 dowed by the all-wise Author of its existence, 

 with a most wonderful sagacity and skill, in antic 



pose in the night ; when, by tlie aid of a light, veloped themselves, and in this chrysalis state they 

 they may be seen in great numbers, hovering about remained till July and August, when they made 



the apiary, to which they are allured by the sweet " ''' 



odor from the hives. The female moth makes 

 every eflbrt to deposit her eggs within the hive, 

 but failing to find admittance slie lays them about 

 the lower edges and crevices, as near the entrance 

 as she can ; and it sometimes happens, probably, 

 that they are carried into the hive by the legs of 

 the bees. The eggs are, according to the course 

 of nature, hatched into caterpillars or worms, bav- 



an aperture with their head, through which they 

 escaped, and, expanding their wings, launched into 

 the air. Thus the disgusting caterpillar, which so 

 lately crept on sixteen feet, now is Beeii.to fly with 

 that gracefulness and ease peculiar to the butterfly, 

 one of the most elegant and active of the winged 

 insects. Here we may recognise the Deity in his 

 wonderful works ! 

 • In October, 1830, I took from a bee-hive which 



ing sixteen feet and a reddish head. These crea-jT purchased, about twenty cocoons containing 

 ipating the wants of the young grubs, when they I tures soon wend their way into the hive ; and not chrysalis, put them into a box glazed on one side. 



escape from the eggs and have no mother to diject 

 or provide for tbeni. The numerous species of 

 moths and butterflies seldom live more than a few- 

 days after depositing their eggs for 'a future prog- 

 eny. The period at which the eggs are hatched 

 after deposition, depends much on the temperature 

 of the atmosphere ; by exposure to the cold of an 

 ice-house in summer, the hatching may bo retard- 

 ed, as it may be hastened by a heated atmosphere 

 iu winter or spring. In general, the eggs of moths 

 remain locked up during winter, in the secure spot 

 which the mother insect had selected, and are 

 - hatched into grubs or worms by the genial heat of 

 spring. 



The silkworm moth, when unrestrained in its 

 natural habits, deposits its eggs on the leaves of 

 trees and carefully glues them to the leaves, that 

 they may not be shaken ott'by the wind or wash- 

 ed away by rains ; and the larvse, as soon as dis- 

 closed, finds its nutriment in llie leaf by which it 

 is sustained. The moth that produces the cater- 

 pillar (Phalmna neustria,) and that which produ- 

 ces the canker worm (Phalftna nrnata peekii,) at- 

 tach their eggs to the branches of fruit trees, that 

 the ensuing vernal heat may bring the young brood 

 into existence, where they find their food in the 



unfrequently they have been known, «iili their I and kept them in moderate temperature throu 

 strong jaws, to cut a channel of their own size the winter. In the months of July and August 



through the substance of an inch board, to obtain 

 admittance. These worms, when arrived at ma- 

 turity, construct an oblong oval pod or cocoon, in 

 which they envelope themselves. In this situation 

 they continue to enlarge and extend their cover- 

 ing, leaving an opening for the head ; and while 

 in their armor, thus formed, they are perfectly se- 

 cure from any annoyance from the bees. They 

 feed on the wax and comb, devouring and gnaw- 

 in"^ down the cells which contain the eggs and the 

 young bees, until they are wholly destroyed. At 

 length the caterpillars are changed into a chrysalis 

 state, their bodies are contracted within their co- 

 coon, they cease to feed, and in due time are trans 



they were transformed into winged moths, a part 

 of which were double the size of others, probably 

 dcsigualive of the different sexes ; but I was sur- 

 prised to observe one among thfem, a beautiful 

 snow white miller.* I put a quantity of hon- 

 ey-comb in the box, with tlie hope of procu- 

 ring a niusery, that I might be able to discover 

 their habits and mode of propagation, but they 

 survived but a few days. 



Methods by which the Bee-moth may be Destroyed. 



The extermination of this destructive species of 

 insects is absolutely impracticable, by any means 

 that art can devise ; but their number may be con- 

 siderably diminished in any "local situation, and 



formed into a winged insect, the t'ue bee-moth. I ,^^.;^.^^^.^^^^ ^^^^^ 5^,.^^ ,„.^^ be entirely pre 



Here the insects continue to increase in number 

 till the whole order and economy of the domicil is 

 interrupted ; and the bees, being overpowered, 

 either die, or in despair quit their hive to the ene- 

 my, the fiist or second year of their attack. 



The moths disclosed from the cocoons seek an 

 exit from the hive, when they couple ; and the fe- 

 males, having deposited their eggs in a suitable ni- 

 dus, soon perish, leaving in the hive in autumn a 

 buds and leaves just expanding. The moth from 1 numerous progeny to be transformed into their 



which comes the worm called the borer, and the 

 insect from which proceeds the peach tree worm, 

 deposit their eggs on the bark of trees, that the 

 larvse may penetrate into its substance for support. 

 The mischievous curculio stings the young fruit 

 and deposits its eggs, where the young maggot 

 will find its nutriment, and at the same time its ve- 

 hicle to convey it to the earth for a more perma- 

 nent residence. The diminutive rtioth whose 

 progeny preys upon woollen cloth, selects that ar- 

 ticle as a nidus for her eggs. To these instances 

 numerous others might be added. 



The true bee-inotb, according to Dr T. M. Har- 

 ris, the Phalrena tinae cereanea of Linnaeus, is a 

 native of Europe, but has been introduced and 

 naturalized in our country. This insect makes its 

 appearance in April or May, according to the 

 warmth of the season, and continues its depreda- 

 tions among bees till October. It afipears in the 

 form of a small miller or nocturnal bufrrfly, the 

 same that we see fluttering: about our lights in a 



perfect state in the ensuing spring. The moths 

 thus transformed pursue the same train of actions 

 to propagate the species, which had been pursued 

 by the parent insects of the preceding year ; and 

 it is not iniprobable, that two or more generations 

 are reared in succession the same .season. These 

 destructive insects are more prevalent in some lo- 

 cal situations than in others ; in some places the 

 stock of bees is entirely annihilated, and all at- 

 tempts to cultivate them are abandoned. 



The female moth is remarkably fertile, laying 

 ■100 or 500 eggs in a season. The precise time 

 when the female deposits her eggs, and the time 

 required for their hatching, has hitherto eluded 

 my research ; but I have known moths to appear 

 early in April, and at one time have seen a worm 

 thrust out of a hive by the bees in the month of 

 March. The process, both of hatching and trans- 

 formation, is promoted by the heat within the hive. 

 There is always in the hive with the moths and 

 grubs a quantity of web, resembling that of the 

 summer's evenmg. It is smaller than a bee, of a I spider, the use of which, as I conceive, is to en- 

 grayish color, paler towards the head, glossy brown tangle the eggs to prevent them from being spread 



or purplish near the outer margin of the wing; 

 They have four wings, but seldom soar high iu 

 the air ; they are frequently seen attached to some 

 substance, apparently motionless, but on the ap- 

 proach of danger they instantly leap off with great 

 rapidit}'. 



These pernicious insects discover a peculiar dis- 

 position to molest bees, and propagate their species 

 in bee-hives. They lie concealed in the grass 



abroad and lost, and to serve as a sort of cradle for 

 the young grubs. Aliout the middle of Jlay, 1828, 

 I perceived on the floor-board of a hive, a mass of 

 web in which were numerous grubs, from the size 

 of a needle's point to that of half an inch in length. 

 When this web is observed in or about a hive, it 

 may be certainly known that the hive is infested 

 with insects. I inclosed a number of full-grown 

 caterpillars in a box for experiment. They im- 



vented. Bottles, with a little honey or syrup at 

 the bottom, placed ncar^the hives, will entrap mul- 

 titudes. If open shallow vessels, containing a 

 mixture of sweetened water, to a i)int of which a 

 gill of vinegar be added, are placed within their 

 range, they will be enticed to sip the liquor, by 

 which they will become intoxicated and drowned 

 by hundreds. They should he burnt the next 

 morning, lest by the heat of the sun and air they 

 become resuscitated. If lights were placed near 

 the hives, a still greater number would be allured 

 to the traps, where they may be destroyed. 



When these insects have got possession of a 

 hive, they cannot by any means in our power be 

 expelled : the only remedy consisis in the remo- 

 val of the bees into another hive. It would be 

 preposterous to suppose that any article could be 

 applied to the insect, while in its cocoon in the in- 

 terior of the hive, that would effect its destruction. 

 Common salt has been recommended, but I have 

 inclosed the worms in a box containing marine 

 salt, and they have covered themselves with their 

 web and remained there six months, when they 

 were transformed into the miller. I have put 

 them into a solution of alkaline salts, and even 

 potash, and they have escaped with,impuBity. 



Knowing, therefore, the inutility of all our 

 means to effect the destruction of the bee-moth, 

 it only remains to describe the most efiipctual ex- 

 pedient to prevent its ravages among our apiaries. 

 A i)roper understanding of the instinctive hab- 

 it^ of the female moth for the propagation of her 

 fjiecies, will indicate the most successful mode of 

 procedure. It has been already observed, that the 

 female selects an appropriate siluntion as a nidus 

 for her eggs ; she discovers a partiality for the 

 floor of the bee-hive, anticipating the sweets of its 

 contents for her dainty offspring. Secluded from 

 the interior of the hive, she deposits her eggs 

 about its edges, and in crevices as neal its 

 entrance as possible, trusting to the instinctive fac- 



during the day, and effect their mischievous pur- mediately spun their cocoons, in which they en- 



* Probably another^insect of different habits. 



