ENEMIES OF BEES. 301 



HOW THEY PASS THE WINTER. 



But it is altogether a different thing with our hives 

 in which bees are wintered ; they are seldom or never 

 entirely exempt ! Perhaps it is impossible to winter 

 bees without preserving some eggs of the moth or a 

 few worms at the same time. The perfect; moth per- 

 haps never survives the winter ; the only place that 

 the chrysalis would be safe, I think must be in the 

 vicinity of the bees — and a good stock will never 

 allow it there — but eggs, it would appear, are suffered 

 to remain. In the fall, at the approach of cold weather, 

 the bees are apt to leave the ends of the combs ex- 

 posed ; the moth can now enter and deposit her eggs 

 directly upon them ; these, together with what are car- 

 ried in by means before suggested, are enough to pre- 

 vent losing the breed. The warmth generated by the 

 bees will keep these eggs from freezing and preserve 

 their vitality. When warm weather approaches in 

 the spring, those nearest the bees are probably hatched 

 first, and commence depredations and are removed by 

 the bees. As the bees increase and occupy more 

 comb, more are warmed up and hatched. In this way, 

 even a small family of bees will hatch, and get rid of 

 all the eggs that happen to be in their combs, and not 

 be destroyed. This is the time that the apiarian may 

 be of service in destroying the worms, as the bees get 

 them on the floor. 



STOCKS MORE LIABLE TO BE DESTROYED LAST OF SUMMER. 



But in July and August it is different in this re- 

 spect .; a single moth may enter the hive when exposed, 



