


























| animal has managed to introduce itself into the interior, they kill 
HYMENOPTERA. 
vanquished, returned to their hive. But very soon there wa 
ereat noise in the interior of the hive, and the bees were see! 
assembled together in a serried mass, to dash forward with the 
speed of a cannon-ball towards the enemy, which, this time, flew 
away at full speed and came back no more. Then the bees made 
a triumphal entry into their dwelling, satisfied with the success 
of their tactics.* 
We have just said that there are sentinels at the entrance of 
every hive. They touch with their antennz each individual that 
wishes to penetrate into the house. Hornets, the Death’s-head 
Sphinx, slugs, &c., often try to introduce themselves into the hive. 
In that case, on the appeal of the watchful porters, all the bees 
combine their efforts to defend -the entrance to their habitation. 
It would be impossible for them, in fact, to stop the ravages of 
their enemies when once entered into the interior. When a 
sphinx has succeeded in introducing itself into a hive, it sits down 
aud drinks the honey in great bumpers, devouring all the pro- 
visions ; and the unfortunate proprietors of the house are obliged 
to emigrate. ‘To stop the entrance of moths which fly by night, 
the bees contract, and sometimes barricade, their door with a 
mixture of wax and propolis. When a slug or any other large 
it and wrap it up in a shroud of propolis, as we have already 
related. 
However, they are quite helpless against certain microscopic 
parasites which sometimes attack them. The bee-louse, which 
has been described and drawn by Réaumur in one of his Memoirs,t 
and the parasite which was described in 1866 by M. Duchemin, 
the Sugar Acarus, which is found in the liquid honey of 
those hives which are attacked by the disease called the rot 
(pourriture), are the most serious enemies of the bee. The 
Gallerias are also terrible enemies to them. LEvery hive thus 
attacked is ruined. These destructive insects attack also the wild 
bees, drive them from their nests, and destroy the wax of the 
cakes forming the honeycomb. The Gadleria impudently makes 
his home in the houses of bees, wild as well as domesticated. 
* «* Tes Abeilles et l’Apiculture,”’ in 8V°, 2nd edition. Paris, 1865, Page 107. 
t Tome y., planche 36. 

