THE ENEMIES OF BEES. 



141 



by the favourable conditions for egg-hatching, through 

 the steady warmth kept up in the hives, they lay their 

 eggs in crevices, and along the borders of bee-homes. 

 The larvae, when able to crawl, make their way over 

 the combs, which, with their contents, they greedily 

 devour, and if attacking in large numbers they some- 

 times prove fatal to a stock. 



FIG. 42. THE ENEMIES OF BEES. 



The two kinds most destructive are the British 

 wax-moth, Achroia grisella, and the G alter ia mellonella. 

 The latter is more troublesome in Italy than in our 

 own country. If the population of a hive be strong 

 and in thoroughly sound condition, there is not 

 much danger to be apprehended from either of these 

 foes. Should, however, a colony be weak, and still 

 more if queenless, such a hold may be gained by 



