Difficulties, and How to Overcome Them. 67 



tion is never to keep weak hives, but unite them with 

 others. If, however, robbing has commenced, nearly 

 close the entrances, so that only one bee can go in 

 and out at a time. If a hive is being robbed, carbolic 

 rags laid near the entrance will drive many of the 

 robbers away. If it can be clearly seen which hive 

 supplies the robbers and which hive is being robbed, 

 it has been suggested to change the places of the 

 hives for about an hour. The result would be 

 ludicrous, because the bees that are robbing would 

 then steal their own honey and store it in the robbed 

 hive. Before nightfall the hives could be put on 

 their own stands again, and the robbers would by 

 that time have been duly punished. Sometimes 

 hives are turned round, and this is often successful. 

 I have frequently found that by nearly closing the 

 entrances, robbing is soon stopped ; but the best way 

 to stop it is to avoid the cause, and see that no pieces 

 of comb or liquid sweets are ever lying about un- 

 protected. 



The greatest enemy of the bee is the wax moth. 

 It is difficult for the wax moth to enter a strong hive, 

 but very easy to enter a weak one. Late on a warm 

 summer evening the moth may be seen flying about 

 the entrances of hives. If it can get in, it will lay an 

 egg in a part of the comb — especially an old comb — 

 not covered by the bees. In due time a grub will 

 come out of the egg, and it will eat wax, pollen or 

 honey. The usual phases are gone through, and the 



