144 PRESERVING HONEY COMBS 



beliunted out and destroyed. The large mother wasps appear 

 singly early in the spring to start their nests, and each, if not 

 prevented, is destined to be the parent of a little swarm. They 

 often harass the bees, and should have no quarter. At the ap- 

 proach of winter, the mice may seek a nesting place in the warm 

 hive. If there are holes large enough to admit them, they 

 should be contracted or covered with wire-cloth. 



TO PRESERVE HONEY COMBS FROM THE MOTH-WORM. 



As long as honey combs remain under the protecting care of 

 the bees, they are secure, but if removed from the hive in the 

 heat of summer, the eggs of the moth already ur>on them will 

 hatch, unless prevented, and finally destroy them. How the 

 eggs get there, is a question. One theory is, that they are 

 deposited by the miller upon the bottom-board and about the en- 

 trance, and occasionally adhering to the feet or legs of the bees, 

 are thus carried among the combs. The other is, that the miller 

 is allowed at times to visit every part of the hive. One thing 

 is certain. If in summer, we drive out all the bees and close 

 the hive to exclude the miller, hundreds of worms will be de- 

 veloped, in from one to three weeks, acording to the tempera- 

 ture. The same is sometimes true of honey in the surplus boxes, 

 though in a lesser degree. "When removed early in the season, 

 if to be kept in the boxes, it should be noticed frequently, and 

 if small lines of a fine white powder are seen upon any of the 

 combs, expose them to the fumes of brimstone. To do this, 

 piepare a match by dipping the end of a cotton rag into melted 



