ENEMIES OF BEES. 291 



any bees devoured or carried off, nor even killed. 

 After the first of June they are seldom troublesome. 

 The yellow wasp or hornet, that is around in autumn, 

 is of but little account ; their object is honey, which 

 they take when they can get it, but are not apt to enter 

 the hive among the bees. 



ANTS A WORD IN THEIR FAVOR. 



Ants come in for a share of condemnation. This 

 little industrious insect shall have my endeavors for a 

 fair hearing ; I think I can understand why they are 

 so frequently accused of robbing bees. Many bee- 

 keepers are wholly ignorant, most of the time, of the 

 real condition of their stocks. Many causes independ- 

 ent of ants, induce a reduction of population. Suppose 

 the bees are so reduced as to leave the combs unpro- 

 tected, and the ants enter and appropriate some of the 

 honey to themselves, and should the owner come along 

 just then and see them engaged, "Hal you are the 

 rascals that have destroyed my bees," without a thought 

 of looking for causes, beyond present appearances. 

 They are often unjustly accused by the farmer of in- 

 juring the growth of his little trees, by causing the 

 tender leaves to curl and wither. Inquiries are often 

 made in some of the agricultural papers for means to 

 destroy them, merely because they are found on them; 

 when the real cause of the mischief is with, the plant 

 louse, (aphis) that is upon the leaves or stalk in hun- 

 dreds, robbing them of their important juices, and se- 

 creting a fluid greatly prized by the ants. By destroy. 

 ing the lice, you remove all the attraction of the ants. 



