THE BEK. 
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following advantages are obtained First— the power of depriving bees 
of honey at pleasure, without injuring them. Secondly — obtaining it in 
larger quantities, and of finer quality. Thirdly— The means of a more 
thorough ventilation, the keeping of the bees cool, and of enlarging their 
accommodations at pleasure, and the power to control swarming at will. 
ENEMIES OF BEES. — These are far more numerous than their diseases, 
and are as follows : 
Poultry, mice, toads, frogs, snails, slugs, caterpillars, moths, millipedes, 
wood-lice, ants, lice, spiders, wasps, hornets . 
Fowls should not be permitted in any apiary. They will kill and eat 
the bees, and such as they do not destroy they will annoy and disturb 
— besides, your bees will probably occupy a stand in your garden, a 
quarter whence other reasons should necessarily exclude poultry. 
Mice. — While the bees are vigorous, the field-mouse does not dare 
attack the hive ; but as the cold approaches, and the bees become less 
active, he enters, and commencing with the lower comb, ascends by de- 
grees as the bees become torpid, until he either clears all away, or by 
the smell of the honey he has wasted on the board, induces other bees 
to come and plunder. As soon as the warm weather returns, the sur- 
viving bees will leave the hive in disgust. The remedy is easy. By 
having your straw hives, if you use such, coated on the exterioi with 
Roman cement, you will prevent mice from nestling in the straw, whence 
otherwise they would speedily eat their way into the interior, and by 
narrowing the entrance of the hive in the manner already described, 
you will effectually keep out these little intruders. If your stands bo 
placed on a single foot, or if the feet are so placed under the foot-board 
as to leave a wide, projecting ledge, no mice can arrive at the hive. _ 
Toads will kill bees occasionally, but not in sufficient numbers to excite 
our alarm ; but the toad is rather to be regarded as a friend to the bees 
— one of their enemies, the spider, being his favorite food. 
Frogs may be classed with toads. 
Snails anil Slugs. — These creatures are not absolutely enemies of bees, 
as they have no design upon them or their honey in entering the hive, 
but merely do so from accident. The mischief done by them consists 
in the alarm and confusion they occasion. The bees first attack the 
unfortunate intruder and kill him with their stings, after which they 
carefully incase him in propolis, effectually preventing putrefaction or 
the production of maggots. , 
Caterpillars. — The most dreaded is the caterpillar of the wax-moth, 
so called from the ravages it makes amongst the combs as soon as it 
obtains entrance. By having the legs of the stand placed as we have 
already described, no caterpillar can climb up to the hive ; but this will 
not prevent the moth herself from entering and depositing eggs in the 
hive ; and so prolific are these moths, that a single brood would suffice 
to destroy a whole stock. Periodical fumigation, and cutting away 
such combs as contain the grubs, arc the remedies to be adopted. Moths 
are only nocturnal enemies. During the day you have nothing to fear 
from their attacks. Let the entrance to the hive, therefore, 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, 
