DECEMBER 1, 1914 



945 



Even if all her cupboards and shelves are 

 isolated on tins of petroleum, the ants will 

 frequently find a convenient cobweb across 

 which they will swarm, and any fruit or 

 sugar left a few minutes unguarded is soon 

 black with these little thieves. 1 have such 

 a high opinion of the perseverance and in- 

 genuity of these insects that I should hardly 

 feel surprised if one day I found them 

 constructing' tiny air-ships on which to 

 reach their coveted sweets ! Of honey they 

 are particularly fond, and the careless bee- 

 keeper is apt to find, one day in summer, a 

 thick stream of these pillagers pouring in 

 and out of the entrances of his hives, and 

 simply walking through any resistance on 

 the part of the inmates. When once things 

 have got to this state, a colony will general- 

 ly give up the struggle and swarm out. 



Something may be done toward checking 

 these small ants by placing a mixture of 

 arsenic and treacle or honey wherever their 

 presence is noted; but the only safe way to 

 keep ants at bay is by making legs for the 

 hives and setting these in tins of water, 

 kerosene, or, still better, axle-grease, or by 

 surrounding each hive or group with a con- 

 crete trough. Where these ants abound it 

 will be a saving of time and trouble to plan 

 some such means of isolating one's hives 

 before setting out an apiary. Even with 

 such provision the defenses must be periodi- 

 cally examined to see that no bridges have 

 been formed by fallen straws or spiders' 

 webs. j 



There is another black ant, considerably 

 larger and stronger than the last named, 

 which also makes itself a great nuisance to 

 the beekeeper. This fellow is not fond of 

 sweets as his smaller relation, and in conse- 

 quence does not take readily to poisoned 

 baits. What this ant likes is the bee itself; 

 and any heavy-laden worker that drops in 

 front of the hive is immediately seized by 

 a dozen ants and dragged oft. When the 

 supply of fallen bees is not sufficient, this 

 ant will climb ujd to the entrances and drag 

 down the guards. The bees are quite help- 

 less to put up any defense against such 

 enemies; and where a hive is being worried 

 by these joests one hears that peculiar, terri- 

 fied whine that bees set up when unhappy 

 or discouraged, and there is always danger 

 that, if the trouble remains unchecked, 

 wholesale swarming out will be the result. 

 Here, again, hive-isolation seems to be the 

 only cure, combined with a vigorous de- 

 struction of nests by pouring boiling water 

 or kerosene down every hole from which 

 ants can be seen emerging. Fortunate are 

 those apiarists Avho can manage to locate on 

 ground unfrequented by any ants. 



The next pest is one which is, I believe, 

 more peculiar to South Africa. This is the 

 " bee-pirate," of which we have at least two 

 varieties. These insects are species of sand- 

 wasps (fossorial hymenoptera), and belong 

 to the two genera Falarus and Fliilantlius, 

 the former being the more troublesome in 

 this part of the country. 



The pirates make their aj^pearance as 

 soon as the hot Aveather sets in, about No- 

 vember or December, and stay till the begin- 

 ning of autumn. From about 10 A. M. to 4 

 p. M. they hover round the hives, pouncing 

 upon the heavily laden bees returning to 

 their homes, frequently taking them right 

 off the alighting-boards. When the bee- 

 pirate is present in large numbers the bees 

 apparently become intimidated, and do not 

 willingly leave the hives, and there are eases 

 where apiaries have been entirely wiped out 

 by this vicious little despoiler. 



The pirate, which is considerably smaller 

 than a worker bee, but very strong and 

 wiry, appears to spring upon its victim's 

 back and insert its sting in the bee's thorax, 

 death ensuing almost immediately. The bee 

 is then either carried off wholesale or the 

 nectar sucked out of its sac. The pirates I 

 have caught have honey-sacs similar to those 

 of bees, and the majority of these have been 

 quite swollen with nectar. The Dutch will 

 tell one that the pirate mounts on the bee's 

 back and steers the captive to his lair, thus 

 getting a free ride home before killing him, 

 but this theory seems too good to be true. 



There is, however, one, and apparently 

 only one, method of keeping clown this 

 scourge, and that is by means of placing 

 about the apiary white dishes containing 

 water and a little petroleum. These dishes 

 must be kept quite clean, as there seems 

 some fatal attraction for the pirate in the 

 white glare of the enamel. This has not 

 been a bad year for these insects; but in 

 half a dozen saucers scattered among my 

 hives T have caught as many as eighty pi- 

 rates some days, which has evidently had 

 the effect of thinning off the total poi^ula- 

 lion in tlie district. There is no doubt that, 

 if these bee-pirates are allowed to continue 

 unchecked, they will become a very serious 

 menace; but I would far rather have this 

 fellow to deal witli than any of the ant 

 tribe or foul brood. 



Finally, though I will not go so far as to 

 say this is the last of our summer troubles, 

 we suffer big losses each year through the 

 depredations of various birds; and the 

 worst offenders among the feathered foes to 

 be contended with are the swifts. These, 

 again, are seldom seen in winter, but are in 

 their element on windy days in mid-summer, 



