MANAGING BEES. 49 



of mortar, or glue, of their own make, which 

 is neither honey nor wax, but is very congen- 

 ial to the growth of worms in the first stages 

 of their larva state, and being secured from the 

 bees by the timber, in a short time they are 

 able to defend themselves by a silken shroud. 



Now the miller enters the hive and makes 

 an incision into the bee-glue, or cement, with 

 her stinfT, and leaves her e^'^s. These e<i"3 

 hatch there, and the brood subsist on the glue 

 until they have arrived so far toward maturity 

 as to enable them to encase themselves in a 

 silken shroud ; and then they move onward. 



Now unless the bees chance to catch him 

 by the collar, or nape of his neck, while feed- 

 ing, and drag him out of his place of conceal- 

 ment, they will be compelled to cut away the 

 combs all around his silken path, or gallery, 

 and drag out the worm and his fortress all to- 

 gether. At the same time, the bees axe com- 

 pelled to cut away the combs so far as to de- 

 stroy many of their young brood in making 

 room to remove the annoyance. I have known 

 them to cut away their combs from four to 



