14 
DR. MILLER'S 
A. The best remedy for wax-worms, as the larvas of the bee- 
moth are called, is a big lot of bees. The worms are not likely to 
get much of a start in a rousing colony, but a weak, discouraged 
colony is their proper prey. If your bees are blacks, you will find 
that changing to Italian blood will be a great help. Indeed, a 
colony of good Italian blood, even if quite weak, will keep the 
worms at bay. 
If the worms have made a fair start, it may be worth while 
Fig. 4. Tunnels of the moth in a brood-comb. 
to give- the bees some help. At least you can dig out the big fel- 
lows. Take a wire nail and dig a hole into one end of the gallery 
that the worm has built. Now start at the other end, and as you 
dig the gallery open the worm will crawl along and come out of 
the hole you first made, when you can dispatch it. 
Q. How early in spring will the wax-worm begin its destruc- 
tive work on combs stored in the honey-house? 
A. Something depends upon the character of the honey- 
house. It needs considerable warmth for the favorable develop- 
ment of the miscreants, and if your honey-house is a warm place 
you may expect them to flourish by the first of May. Otherwise 
not till the last of the month. In a cool cellar there will be little 
