416 
Beekeeping 
flies (especially in Florida where they destroy queens 
while mating), various Hemiptera which suck the blood 
of adult bees, the death’s head moth (repeatedly men¬ 
tioned in Europe), Mediterranean flour moth (eating pollen 
in stored combs), a dipterous parasite (Braula caeca) some¬ 
times found on imported queens, blister beetle (Melee) 
and other beetles feeding on pollen or combs, wasps and 
hornets (Vespa) and ants, especially in tropics and semi¬ 
tropics, are the chief offenders. Dragonflies are so destructive 
to queens as to make queen-rearing unprofitable in some 
places. Various devices have been suggested for circumvent¬ 
ing ants, among which is the hive stand shown in Fig. 183, 
used in Hawaii. Around the post which serves as a base, 
a strip of tree tanglefoot is painted and this is renewed at 
intervals. The bee louse seemingly does not thrive in Amer¬ 
ica. There are several plants which trap bees and destroy 
them and, as mentioned under honey plants, the pollen 
masses of certain milkweeds adhere to bees, sometimes mak¬ 
ing them incapable of flight. 
