Enemies. 179 



honey and water, covered with brown pa- 

 per, with many holes, which the artts may- 

 pars, but not the bees, and tied clofe round, 

 will entice them to their deftru&ion. Spiders* 

 webs mould not be fuffered about an api- 

 ary. 



Large slugs, or mails without fhells, 

 creep into the hives in wet weather; and 

 are troublefome to the bees, by hindering 

 their labour, and foiling the hive by their 

 excrements ; caufing the bees to be very frac- 

 tious; but they neither confume the honey 

 nor wax; and generally, fooner or later, blun- 

 der their way out again ; for I very feldom 

 found one in taking a hive up, though I have 

 often feen four or five at a time in boxes. 

 By chance, the^ fometimes lie againft the 

 door- way, and flop it quite up ; which may 

 be foon difcovered, by the bees not being 

 able to enter. They may be taken out by a 

 fharp-pointed wire in the form of a hook. 



Wasps are much more deftrudive to 

 flocks than their other adverfaries, by their 

 fuperior ftrength and prodigious numbers ; 

 efpeciafly in a year favourable to their breed- 

 ing. They are mod numerous in July and 

 N 2 Auguft. 



