232 



ENEMIES OF BEES. 



for another victim with the most provoking complacency. 

 I found in his stomach m.ore than a dozen which he had al- 

 ready swallowed ; they were dead, but not mutilated. 

 Notwithstanding his shabby ingratitude in impudently 

 committing the crime before ray very face, after fooling 

 me so long with his innocent looks, and allowing me to 

 plead his case for years, I am going to hand him over to 

 the judge with a strong "recommendation to mercy." I 

 trust he will reform, and not cultivate a taste for beautiful 

 Italians. When he can control his appetite, so as to be 

 content with the delicacies that the garden affords, he may 

 rise in our estimation. 



He can be excluded from the apiary, if desired, by a 

 close fence, a foot in height. 



BLACK WASP. 



But little can be said in favor of the black wasps that 

 visit the hives in the sunny days of spring. They seem to 

 have no other object than to tease and irritate the bees. I 

 never could discover that they entered the hive for pur- 

 poses of plunder. They have frequent battles with the 

 bees, but I never saw any bees devoured, or carried off, or 

 even killed, although sad havoc is sometimes reported. 

 After the first of June, they are seldom troublesome. The 

 yellow wasps or h-ornets that are around in autumn, are 

 of but little account ; their object is honey which they take 

 when thiey can, but are not apt to enter the hive among 

 the bees. 



ANTS — A WOBD nsr THEIK FATOK. 



Ants come in for a share of condemnation. These in- 

 dustrious little insects shall have my efforts for a fair hear- 

 ing. Many bee-keepers are wholly ignorant, most of the 

 time, of the real condition of their stocks. Many causes, 

 independent of ants, induce a reduction of population. 



