270 AUSTRALASIAN 



MICE. 



These little pests are sometimes as great a nuisance in the 

 apiary as they are in domestic dwellings. They destroy the 

 combs, create disgusting smells, and when they gain a footing 

 in a hive it usually ends in the destruction of the colony. It 

 is a good plan to keep a cat or two about the apiary, especially 

 if it should be some distance from the dwelling-house. If the 

 hives, however, are made in accordance with the instructions 

 given in Chapter VI., it will be almost impossible for these little 

 wretches to enter, as the entrance will not be large enough to 

 admit them. 



ANTS. 



In some countries ants are the cause of much annoyance to 

 bees and bee-keepers. In the warmer parts of the Australian 

 colonies some of the larger species are numerous, and there 

 they become very troublesome. In South Australia Mr. Bonney 

 says, "In some districts the hives must be protected from them 

 (the ants), otherwise they would destroy the bees. I find 

 Italians protect themselves against ants much better than the 

 blacks." In New South Wales I am informed that " ants are 

 sometimes troublesome ; " and Mr. David Gloss, writing from 

 Victoria, says he never found or heard of ants being trouble- 

 some in the cool districts (Kyneton and Ballarat), but they 

 may be in" the warm district's. The smaller species, such as I 

 have seen in New Zealand, do but little damage ; and as it is 

 a rare occurrence to find them in hives that are properly man- 

 aged, they are scarcely worth taking into consideration. But 

 where the larger kinds exist, I would advise the bee-keeper to 

 keep a sharp look-out for their nests, and destroy them. When 

 in the hive, they usually congregate above the mat in the upper 

 part, where they may be swept off and destroyed. 



Some writers recommend placing poisoned saccharine matter 

 or meat in vessels well protected from the bees by a covering 

 of wire-cloth, and putting these near the hives where the ants 

 are numerous. Large numbers may be trapped in this way. 

 A narrow strip of fur tacked completely round the under edge 



hint, like everything coming from the same source, is worthy of all attention. 

 But though in this way we may indeed convert the spider into a friend or 

 ally of the bee-keeper, we muBt continue to class it amongst the " enemies of 

 bees, and to banish it from the vicinity of working hives. 



