228 DISEiSES AND ENEMIES OF BEES. 



than the natives. Theiy disposition to defend themselves 

 so vigorously, is an invaluable ully to the careful bee-keeper. 

 With the frequent handling of movable combs, in the 

 various operations incident to the season, a worm in any 

 part of the hive can readily be detected and disposed of, 

 and there is little excuse for allowing them to become 

 numerous. A knife or other sharp-pointed instrument 

 should be at hand to administer speedy justice, as every 

 one not destroyed, soon becomes a host. Combs taken 

 from hives in which bees have been wintered, and later 

 in the season, such spare combs as the moth may have had 

 access to, should be examined, and if signs of its work 

 are seen, the combs should be placed in a box, and sub- 

 jected to the fumes of brimstone. Such combs are valua- 

 ble, and should be preserved. If, from any mishap or 

 carelessness, a stock becomes so over-run with worms as 

 to be in danger of destruction, the bees should be remov- 

 ed, and the hive and contents thoroughly fumigated with 

 brimstone. If any brood should be worth saving, let 

 it be cut out, and cared for. The combs unfit for 

 any purpose, should be buried or burned. 



MOTH-PKOOF HIVES. 



"No hive has ever yet been invented which will exclude 

 the moth. It is distressing to contemplate the amount of 

 humbuggery that credulous bee-keepers have endured for 

 scores of years, in the shape of so-called moth-proof 

 hives. Let it be distinctly understood by all beginners 

 that the moth is not the cause of the decline of a once 

 healthy stock. It simply takes advantage of the weak- 

 ness induced by other causes. Therefore, the obvious 

 remedy or preventive is, to "keep all colonies strong," 

 and destroy every moth, larva, or chrysalis at sight. 



