NATURAL ENEMIES 129 



on the floor. The young caterpillars are very 

 dingy grey objects, with brown heads, and as soon 

 as they are hatched they commence boring into 

 the soft wax, spinning as they go along a lining of 

 silk to their tunnel as a greater protection from 

 the stings of the inmates. When full grown, they 

 are about an inch and a half long, and they enter 

 the pupa stage. To assume this, they emerge 

 from the comb and seek a crevice or obscure 

 corner for the period of repose. They spin 

 a very tough cocoon of silk, and are fond, when 

 possible, of resting thus in little companies. 

 I have noticed that when they spin up on a flat 

 surface, such as the dummy board of a modern 

 hive, behind which there is usually a larger or 

 smaller space unoccupied by bees, they excavate 

 a slight hollow in the wood before affixing their 

 cocoons to it. 



In the daytime these moths may often be 

 found hiding in the hives. When disturbed, they 

 run very swiftly into darker corners. I do not 

 know of any species of moth which is so 

 nimblefooted. 



Yet another moth which is attracted by bees' 

 hives is the great Death's Head Moth, notable as 

 being the largest species of moth found in Britain. 

 This huge creature used very often to enter the 

 old-fashioned straw bee-hives for the sake of the 

 honey. Into the modern frame-hives I do not 

 think it can possibly find entrance. 



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