314 



Enemies of Bees — Moths. 



long, and show by their plump appearance that they at least can. 

 aigest comb. They now spin their cocoons, either in some 

 crevice about the hive, or, if very numerous, singly (Fig. 170, 

 a) or in clusters (Fig. 170, 6) on the comb, or even in the 

 drone-cells (Fig. 170, c), in which they become pupse, and in 

 two weeks, even less sometimes, during the extreme heat of 

 summer, the moths again appear. In winter they may re- 



Fig. 169. 



main as pupse for months. The moths or millers — sometimes 

 incorrectly called moth-millers — are of an obscure gray color, 

 and thus so mimic old boards that they are very readily 

 jiasseik unobserved by the apiarist. They are about three- 

 fouiifio of an inch long, and expand (Fig. 1 71) nearly on<s 



Pig. 171. 



and one-fourth inches. The females are darker than the 

 male, possess a longer snout, and are usually a little larger. 

 The wings, when the moths are quiet, are flat on the back for 

 a narrow space, then slope very abruptly. They rest by day, 

 yet, when disturbed, will. dart forth with great swiftness, so 

 Keuamur styled them "nimble-footed." They are active by 

 night, when they essay to enter the hive and deposit their 

 one or two hundred eggs. If the females are held in the hand 



