68 THE HIVE AND THE HONEY-BEE. 



fore, be nearly closed in the evening, and you will protect your 

 bees from their ravages. Columella recommends, as a trap for 

 moths, a bottle, or other vessel, with a long and narrow neck in- 

 creasing gradually to a wide mouth, and having a light in the 

 neck, to be placed under the hive in the evening. I can vouch 

 for the efficacy of this trap — it will destroy numbers. Another 

 particular to be attended to is to have your stocks sufficiently 

 strong ; and for this purpose, if the hive attacked be weak, unite 

 it to the bees of another hive, in the manner already described. 

 The bees are themselves, if sufficiently strong in numbers, both 

 willing and able to destroy the intruders. If weak, they will 

 necessarily fall victims. 



Millipedes, or Woodlice, are often produced by the stand 

 being made of decayed wood, or the hive being placed too near 

 an old hedge. Let the stand be of new wood, and strew soot on 

 the ground under and about the hive. This will also serve in 

 part as a protection against the attacks of 



Ants.' — You should always destroy such ants' nests as you 

 find in the neighborhood of a hive. In the West Indies glass 

 feet are used to prevent these insects from getting into furniture, 

 &c. Might not such be used with advantage for bee-hives? 



Lice. — These are small parasitical insects of a red color, which 

 adhere to the body of the bee, and derive their nourishment from 

 her juices. They are about the size of a grain of mustard seed, 

 or rather smaller. 



Reaumur and others tried many remedies for these trouble- 

 pome insects, but in vain, till at length Madame Vicat discovered 

 that Morocco tobacco will kill the lice without injuring the bees. 



Spiders. — Brush away their webs wherever you meet with 

 them near your stand. 



Wasps and Hornets. — These insects are most noxious to bees. 

 Dig up and destroy their nests wherever you meet with them ; 

 but you will most effectually get rid of them by offering a re- 

 ward for every queen wasp brought to you in spring. The de- 

 struction of each queen is tantamount to that of an entire nest ; 

 and if this plan were generally adopted, wasps would eventually 

 be extirpated. 



Birds. — Among those which are the greatest enemies to bees, 

 I may mention sparrows and swallows. Set traps near the hives, 

 baited with dead bees ; shoot the birds ; and hang up a few of 



