ENEMIES OF BEES. 



devouring what to all other animals would be indigestible their 

 wax) are unable to penetrate. These larva? are sometimes so 

 numerous in a hive, and commit such extensive ravages, as to 

 force the poor bees to desert it and seek another habitation." * 



164. Huber gives the following most interesting account of 

 the measures taken by his bees, to fortify themselves against the 

 incursions of the death's-head moth. 



When he found his hives attacked and their store of honey 

 pillaged by these depredators, he contracted the opening left for 

 the exit and entrance of the bees to such an extent, as while it 

 allowed them free ingress and egress, it was so small that their 

 plunderers could not pass through it. This was found to be per- 

 fectly effectual, and all pillage was thenceforward discontinued 

 in the hives thus protected. 



165. But it happened that in some of the hives this precaution 

 was not adopted, and here the most wonderful proceeding on the 

 part of the bees took place. Human contrivance was brought into 

 immediate juxtaposition with apiarian ingenuity. 



The bees of the undefended hives raised a wall across the gate 

 of their city, consisting of a stiff cement made of wax and propolis 

 mixed in a certain proportion. This wall, sometimes carried 

 directly across and sometimes a little behind the door, first com- 

 pletely closed up the entrance ; but they pierced in it some 

 openings just large enough to allow two bees to pass each other in 

 their exits and entrances. 



The little engineers did not follow one invariable plan in these 

 defensive works, but modified them according to circumstances. 

 In some cases a single wall, having small wickets worked through 

 it at certain points, was constructed. In others several walls were 

 erected one within the other, placed parallel to each other, with 

 trenches between them wide enough to allow two bees to pass 

 each other. In each of these parallel walls several openings or 

 wickets were pierced, but so placed as not to correspond in posi- 

 tion, so that^in entering a bee would have to follow a zigzag 1 

 course in passing from wicket to wicket. In some cases these 

 walls or curtains were wrought into a series of arcades, but so 

 that the intervening columns of one corresponded to the arcades of 

 the other. 



The bees never constructed these works of defence without 

 urgent necessity. Thus, in seasons or in localities where the 

 death's-head moth did not prevail, no such expedients were 

 resorted to. Nor were they used against enemies which were 

 open to attack by their sting. The bee, therefore, understands 



* Kirby, vol. i. p. 130. 



85 



