228 BEES AND BEE-KEEPING. 



stragglers to return to their hives ; hut care must be 

 taken to prevent bees from carrying off the honey, 

 which they are very certain to do if permitted. 



KEEPING AND MARKETING HONEY. 



When honey is thus removed from the care of the 

 bees and set by in a honey-room, where it will be 

 kept warm, as is generally the case at that season, 

 in a few days it will be found to have worms in it, 

 although it may have been closed so as to effectually 

 exclude the miller; and unless these worms are 

 destroyed, they will very soon render the honey unfit 

 for market. 



The question very naturally arises, How did the 

 worms get there ? Mr. Quinby gives it as his opin- 

 ion, that* the egg is carried there by the bees, either on 

 their feet or body, having been deposited near the 

 entrance; he says, it is not at all probable that the 

 moth passed through the hive, and deposited eggs in 

 the jars or boxes. 



My experience leads me a little further in this 

 direction. I have seen, on several occasions, the 

 moth alight near the entrance of the hives a little 

 after sunset, when the bees were standing guard, and 

 clustered around the entrance, pass right amongst the 

 bees, and go into the hive unmolested, the bees 

 getting out of its track, apparently dreading its touch, 

 as though it was a coal of fire, not daring to attack 

 it ! On one or two occasions I immediately opened 

 the hive (a movable comb one) on seeing the miller 

 enter, and found it passing over the combs unmo- 



