32 TexIs Agricultural Experiment Station 



NATURAL CONTEOL 



PREDACEOUS ENEMIES 



Of the natural enemies of the beemoth, the most important is the 

 honey bee itself. It is a well established fact that if the colony be 

 kept strong, healthy, and with a vigorous queen, it will defend itself 

 against the beemoth. This is particularly true in the case of "Italian" 

 bees. In the Ohio Cultivaior for 1849, page 185, Micajah T. Johnson 

 says, "One thing is certain: if the bees, from any cause, should lose 

 their queen and not have the means in their power of raising another, 

 the miller and the worms soon take possession. I believe no hive is 

 destroyed by worms while an efficient queen remains in it." This 

 seems to be the earliest published notice of this important fact by an 

 American observer. 



This fact is of vital importance in the fight against the beemoth, for 

 if the pest can be kept from its favorite food control measures are 

 made much easier. The fact that the bees under natural conditions 

 are able to defend themselves should leave the problem of control to 

 such means as will destroy the pest in places other than the hives. 

 Recently it has been found advantageous to introduce Italian blood into 

 the colony, as the workers of this race seem to be more efficient fighters 

 of the beemoth. In most cases this is sufficient for the control of the 

 pest in the colonies, but it must be remembered that the colony cannot 

 be kept under close observation and maintained at full strength unless 

 domiciled in a frame hive. 



A small red ant, Solenopsis geminata Pab. was found to be an enemy 

 of the beemoth, as many of the cage experiments were destroyed by 

 these ants killing the moths and larvae. The attack is made on the 

 moths during the day or when they are at rest. Usually the ant crawls 

 under the wings of the moth, and begin the attack on the abdomen. 

 There is no apparent struggle on the part of the moth, for close exam- 

 ination was necessary to determine that the moth was dead and not 

 resting. The abdomen seems to be all that is desired, and this is car- 

 ried away in small pieces to the nest of the ants. The same species of 

 ant also destroyed moths which had recently been prepared for exhibits. 

 At such times only the abdomen was taken by the ants. In their 

 attacks on the larvae the ants entered the cages and crawled over the 

 comb and wax ia search of their prey and if any larvae were exposed, 

 they were attacked. The larger larvae are more frequently attacked, 

 as they are less active and usually feed in more exposed places than do 

 the smaller ones. Unless the larvae were well protected by webs in 

 the refuse, they were destroyed by the ants. Apparently there are days 

 and even parts of days when the ants are most active in their destruction. 

 Never were the ants present in sufficient numbers to attempt tracing 

 them to their nests. No observations have been made upon this ant 

 in or about the apiary and while it proved very destructive under arti- 

 ficial conditions, the moths and larvae might be better able to protect 

 themselves under natural conditions. 



