240 THE HIVE AND HONEY-BEE. 



Cleveland, Ohio, who is so widely known for his interest 

 in Horticultural and Apiarian pursuits, will be read with 

 great interest : 



"CLEVELAND, Feb. 19th, 1859. 



" DEAR SIK : Until 1805, the honey-bee flourished in 

 the United States. At the commencement of the present 

 century, a majority of the farmers and mechanics in the 

 State of Connecticut cultivated the bee. Few, if any, 

 unfavorable contingencies interfered with that pursuit ; the 

 simplest form of box-hives was usually employed, though, 

 occasionally, a hollow gum, and, in a few instances, the 

 conical straw sJcep supplied their place. 



" In Autumn, the weak colonies, and such of the old as 

 were depreciating in value, were destroyed by fire and 

 brimstone. The honey thus obtained was sufficiently 

 abundant to satisfy the demand ; hence, in those days, 

 caps, drawers, and side-boxes, for robbing bees, were not 

 employed. 



"During the Spring of the year 1806, 1 read an ai'ticle, 

 in the Boston Patriot, describing the miller and worm, 

 and their depredations, and representing them as of re- 

 cent appearance in the vicinity of that city. A few 

 months subsequently, a neighbor informed me that they 

 were depredating extensively on his colonies ; and within 

 two years of that time, four-fifths of all the Apiaries in 

 that vicinity were abandoned.* 



* Judge Fishback, of Batavia, Ohio, says that the ravages of the moth, In his 

 Apiary, were much more destructive the second seasoil after its appearance, than 

 at any subsequent period. I can only account for this, by supposing that, at first, 

 the bees were ignorant of its nature, and took no special precautions to prevent it 

 from entering their hives. In Europe, where it has been well known for more than 

 two thousand years, its ravages have never been of such a wholesale character. As 

 both worms and moth have a peculiar smell, the bees would soon learn to repel 

 from their hives, a moth smelling so much like the worms that were devouring 

 their combs. 



That bees can learn to defend themselves against new enemies, is proved by tho 

 facts related by Huber, of their narrowing their entrances with propolis to keep 



