296 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov 



common bees, are almost sure to find live 

 worms in them, sooner or later. 



IIow do the worms get into a box of honey 

 tliat is pasted up tightly, just as soon as the 

 bees are driven out ? I presume they get 

 in just as they get into the comb taken from 

 a hive during warm weather. The moth 

 lias doubtless been all through the hive, for 

 she can go where a bee can, and has laid the 

 eggs in every comb, trusting to the young 

 worms to evade the bees by some means af- 

 ter they are hatclied. This explanation, I 

 am well aware, seems rather unreasonable, 

 but it is the only one I can give. In looking 

 over hives of common bees, I liave often seen 

 moths dart like lightning from crevices, and 

 Jiave sometimes seen them dart among the 

 bees and out again, but whether they can 

 deposit an egg so quickly as this, I am un- 

 able to say. In taking combs from the hive 

 containing queen cells to be used in the lamp 

 nursery, I have always had more or less 

 trouble with these moth worms. The high 

 temperature, and absence of bees, are very 

 favorable to tlieir hatching and growth, and 

 after about 8 days, the worms are invariably 

 found spinning their webs. If they are 

 promptly picked out, for about a week, no 

 more make their appearance, showing clear- 

 ly that the eggs Avere deposited in the 

 combs, while in the hive. 



When the (jueen cells are nearly ready to 

 hatch, I often hear the queens gnawing out, 

 by holding the comb close to my ear ; by the 

 same means, I hear moth worms eating out 

 their galleries along the comb, and more 

 than once, I have mistaken them for (pieens. 

 They are voracious eaters, and the '' chank- 

 i'lg " they make, when at full work, reminds 

 one of a lot of hogs. As they are easily 

 frightened, you nnist lift the comb with 

 great care, to either see or hear them at 

 their work. 



Their silken galleries are often construct- 

 ed right throiigli a (^omb of sealed brood, and 

 they then make murderous work with the 

 unhatched bees. Perhaps a single worm will 

 mutilate a score of bees, before he is dis- 

 lodged. Tliese are found generally at the 

 entrance of the' hive in the morning, and 

 numerous letters have been received from 

 new beginners, asking why their bees should 

 teai- the unhatched brood out of the combs, 

 and carry it out of the hives. 1 i>resunu' the 

 moth is at the bottom of all, or nearly all, of 

 these complaints. If you examine the cap- 

 ped brood carefully, you will see light 

 streaks across the combs wliere these silken 

 galleries are, and a pin, or knife point, will 



quickly pry his wormship out of his retreat. 

 As the young worms travel very rai)idly, it 

 is quite likely the eggs may have been de- 

 posited on the frame or edges of the comb. 

 It is a little more dirticult to luiderstand how 

 they get into a honey box with only a small 

 opening, but I think it is done by the moth, 

 while on the hive. 



You may i)erhaps have noticed that the 

 motli webs are usually seen from one comb 

 to another, and they seldom do very much 

 mischief, uidess there are two or more combs 

 side by side. Well, if you, in putting your 

 surplus combs away for winter, i)lace them 

 2 or more inches apart, you will seldom have 

 any trouble, even should you leave them un- 

 disturbed until tlie next July. There is no 

 danger from worms, in any case, in the fall, 

 winter or spring, for the worms cannot de- 

 velop, unless they have a summer temper- 

 ature, although they will live a long time in 

 a dormant state if not killed by severe freez- 

 ing weather. I have kept combs in my barn 

 two years or more ; but they were not re- 

 moved from the hives, imtil fall, and were 

 kept during tlie sinnmer months, in a close 

 box, where no moth could i)ossibly get at 

 tliem. I have several times, had worms get 

 among them when I was so careless as to 

 leave them exposed during warm weather, 

 and one season, I found nearly 1000 combs so 

 badly infested that they would have been 

 almost worthless, in less than a week. The 

 combs were all hung up in the honey house, 

 and then about a lb. of brimstone was 

 thrown on a sliovel of coals in an old kettle. 

 This was placed in the room, and all doors 

 and windows, carefully closed. Next morn- 

 ing, I found most of the worms dead, but a 

 few that were encased in heavy webs were 

 still alive; after anotlier and more severe 

 fumigation, not a live one was to be found, 

 and my combs were saved. I have several 

 times since, fumigated honey in boxes in 

 the same way. 



After the bees have died in a hive, it 

 should never be left exposed to robbers and 

 moths,but should be carried in-doors at once, 

 or carefully closed up. If you have not bees 

 either by artilicial or natural swarming, to 

 use the combs befort^ warm weather, you 

 should keej) a careful watch over them, for 

 a great amount of nuschief may be done in 

 a very few days. I once removed some 

 cond)s, heavy witli honey, in August, and 

 thinking no worms would get into them so 

 late, I delayed looking at them. A month 

 later, the honey began to run out on the 

 floor, and upon attenipliug to lift out a 



