CHAPTER XI.
Enemies of Bees, and means of overcoming them.
Gelieusays—"that nothing is more prejudicial to Bees than ignorant attention; their most formidable enemies are, perhaps, their possessors, who busy themselves to torment them, and weaken and kill them by too much care. In Winter, they hurt them by shutting them up, and in Spring, the giving them a little honey is not always attended to, neither is the guarding them from moths, which, at that time, make the greatest havoc, nor is the narrowing of the entrancesto prevent them being robbed. Some people suffocate them in Autumn, that they may possess themselves of their provisions; and others take out the best of the honey, and often too much of it, and so expose them to die of hunger.
"I therefore place, in the foremost rank of their enemies, those of their possessors, who, by their own ignorance and inexperience, hinder them from prospering and multiplying." To all this I am sorry to say that I can bear testimony.
Amongst the enemies of Bees are enumerated, ants, moths, birds, poultry, mice, wasps, and spiders. Ants, perhaps, are their least dangerous enemies, for though they cannot sting them, they carry them to a distance.
Ants may be destroyed by pouring boiling water into their nests, and the operation will be greatly assisted by making holes into them with a sharp stick, so as to allow the water to flow readily to the bottom of them. Mr. Huish says, "to preserve my Bees from these vermin, I alwaysfasten a piece of sheep's skin, with its wool on round the bottom of the pedestal;" it has been said, that these insects dislike both garlick and shalots, and they will not harbour in the ground in which these vegetables are grown.
Moths[11]are by far their most formidable and dangerous enemies, great numbers of hives are destroyed by them every year, it therefore requires the utmost vigilance on the part of the Bee-keeper to defend his favourites from these most powerful assailants. It is in the caterpillar state that they commit their ravages, and it is truly astonishing to observe the rapidity with which they destroy a hive, when they get established in it. It must be observed that hives managed upon the Depriving System, that are expected to stand for ten, fifteen or eventwenty yearsare much more subject to the incursions of moths, than those which are destroyed every year.
[11]Entomology designates two species of wax moths: the greater is the most commongallerea cerreana, and the smallergallerea alvearia.
[11]Entomology designates two species of wax moths: the greater is the most commongallerea cerreana, and the smallergallerea alvearia.
The best method of preventing their increase is the frequent cleansing of the hive floors, for the female generally deposits her eggs between the hive and the board on which it stands, or in the dust that accumulates at the bottom. Upon removing the hive the moths may be seen in thelarvastate upon the floor, and are easily destroyed. "Moths and spiders," says Dr. Bevan, "should be watched and destroyed, in an evening, as at that time the former are hovering about, and the latter laying their snares." He also recommends a frequent cleaning of the hive floors.—Huish says, "the butterfly of the moth that redoubtable enemy of the Bee, appears in April, and continues until October. Destroy them as much as possible; frighten not away the bats which fly about the hives, as they devour a great number of them." He says also, "I would alway advise an Apiarian to fix his attention particularly on a hive, the Bees of which appear to be in inaction, whilst the Bees of other hives are in activity. If this inaction continue for tendays, or a fortnight, not a moment then should be lost in examining the hive, and the ravages of the moth will soon present themselves."
Amongst birds, that little marauder the blue titmouse (parus major of Linneus) stands the foremost as their enemy, for, says Purchas, "she will eat ten or twelve Bees at a time, and by and by be ready for more; she feeds her young ones also with them. She eats not the whole Bee, but divides it in the middle, pulls out the bagge of honey, litting drop the skinny outside; in the spring she watches for them in the willow and sallow trees, and takes them when they are at their work." Destroy their nests in breeding time, and shoot them in winter. Lapoutre, a French Naturalist, assures us, "that he saw under a tree in which there was a tom-tit's nest, a surprising quantity of the scaly parts of Bees, which this bird had dropped from its nest." Sparrows and swallows have both an ill name, but I could never observe any great hurt done by either of them. Poultry will occasionally destroy Bees, for I once recollectseeing a hen and her brood pay dearly for their freedom with a hive, the chickens were all stung to death, and the hen escaped only with her life.
From mice, the surest safeguard is the single pedestal (seefig. 1, 2 and 3.).
The destruction of Queen Wasps in the Spring, and wasps nests in the Summer, will prove the best security against these formidable enemies: Queen Wasps are seen in April and May, and are very easily captured, every one which is then destroyed, would probably have been the founder of a nest, which may be computed at 30,000, at least.
In Autumn, it is very common for Bees to rob and plunder each other's hives; the best remedy for this evil, as well as to guard against wasps, is to contract the entrances; to effect this object, I would recommend a copper guard to be attached to each hive; (seefig. 10, andpage 18,) the wooden one of Espenasse, as well as Huish's tin guard, I have found very inconvenient, which inducedme to construct the one referred to. It is made of thin copper, and stitched to the hive with copper wire, it has two sliders, one pierced with a number of small holes, and the other having one only, but large enough to allow the passage of one Bee through it. The advantages of this, above all other guards, arises from its not projecting beyond the hive, the alighting board not being encumbered by it, and the angles formed by Huish's with the hive, so annoying to the Bees, being avoided.
"In a word," says Purchas, "if you desire to have your Bees thrive, and prosper, keep them well from winds and wet, heat and cold,destroy their enemies, and let them enjoy a sufficiency of food gotten by their own industry; and if there be a want in some, timely supply them, and doubt not, if by God's blessing on your endeavours, the increase and prosperity of your Bees."