THE WAX MOTH 225 
which are caught on their mating flights, the insects cannot be 
said to be generally injurius. 
The robber fly is a large insect that flies with a loud buzz. 
It is a rapacious fellow, seeking those it may devour. Butter- 
flies, bees, grasshoppers, and even wasps and beetles fall victims 
to its voracious appetite. It is seldom sufficiently abundant to 
cause appreciable injury in the bee yard and may be regarded, 
on the whole, as a useful insect (Fig. 107). 
Ee a T mn z RF: OA 
é H i ag & 
Le i ; 94 g.. 3 
yaa 4 “ ¢ Bi, 
be 1 | eae vi 
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Fic. 106.—The natural and preferred food of the skunk is insects. The honey-bee is a 
tempting delicacy to the skunk palate. 
Spiders also sometimes weave their webs in situations where 
the heavily laden bees fall into them and are lost. Large webs 
in the immediate vicinity of the hive should not be tolerated, 
but aside from that little is to be feared from spiders. 
THE WAX MOTH 
The larger wax moth (Galleria melonella) is very widely 
distributed and among indifferent bee-keepers is a serious pest. 
It is present in nearly all portions of Europe and North America 
where bees are kept, excepting the high altitudes of Colorado 
15 
