6 Texas AGBicuLTtTEAL Expekimen"t Station 



HISTOEY 



This species was known to observers and beekeepers in very early 

 times. Perhaps the first mention was that made by Aristotle, who 

 lived in 384-322 B. C. Later Virgil (70-19 B. C.) made mention of 

 the beemoth in his writings. In the first century, A. D. Columella, a 

 Eoman writer on agricultural subjects, mentioned the beemoth as an 

 enemy to the honey bee. Eeamur (1685-1757) in France told of the 

 damage done by the beemoth. In Holland, Swammerdam (1637-1680) 

 refers to species of the beemoth, commonly called at that time the 

 '^bee wolf." Linnaeus (1707-1778) in Sweden tells of the presence 

 of this pest among the beekeepers of that country. The introduction 

 of the beemoth into America occurred about the beginning of the nine- 

 teenth century. It is said that the pest was found in Australia prior 

 to 1878 and in .ISTew Zealand it was not noticed until 1904. When 

 this pest was introduced into Texas is not known. 



DISPEESION 



It has been said that man is the spreading agency of this pest. It 

 is undoubtedly true in the larger sense, for it is very doubtful if the 

 pest spreads fast through its own flight. The carelessness of the bee- 

 keeper is almost wholly responsible for the maintenance and spread 

 of the waxworm. As beekeeping has progressed from Asia through 

 Europe and Northern Africa to the North American continent and to 

 the islands of the Pacific, so has been the spread of the beemoth. 

 Wherever beekeeping has been introduced, a few years later the presence 

 of the pest is recorded. Within small areas the spread" of the pest is 

 largely through the exchange of infested combs. In Texas it has not 

 been traced, nor is the first location known. The dispersion seems to- 

 be restricted by the climatic conditions of Colorado and other western 

 states. In these localities it has been introduced often but had failed 

 to establish itself. 



DISTEIBUTION 



The beemoth is now found in much of northern Asia and Africa 

 north of the desert, throughout Europe, Great Britain, North America, 

 Australia, New Zealand, Ceylon and India. The distribution of this 

 pest in Texas includes the following counties: Anderson, Atascosa, 

 Bandera, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Bosque, Bowie, Brazoria^ 

 Brazos, Brooks, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Callahan, Cass,. 

 Cherokee, Coleman, Collin, Colorado, Comanche, Concho, Cook, Coryell,. 

 Crockett, Dallas, Delta, Ellis. Erath, Falls, Eannin, Payette, Franklin,' 

 Freestone, Gonzales, Greg,?, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hamilton, Harrison', 

 Hays, Henderson, Hill, Houston, Hunt, Jasper, JefPerson, Karnes' 

 Kaufman, Kendall, Kerr, Kimball, Lamar, Lampasas, Lavaca, Lee, 

 Leon, Liberty, Limestone, Llano, Madison, McCullough, McLennan' 

 jMason, McMuUen, Medina, Milam, Mills, ]\rorris, Navarro Nolan 

 Nueces, Panola, Parker, Polk. Eains, Bed Eiver, Eobertson, Eockwalf 



