Manual of the apiary

by Albert John Cook

BEE-LOUSE—Branla Cœca, Nitsch.

Fig. 109.
Imago.	Larva.

This louse ([Fig, 109]) is a wingless Dipteron, and one of the uniques among insects. It is a blind, spider-like parasite, and serves as a very good connecting link between insects and spiders, or, still better, between the Diptera, where it belongs, and the Hemiptera, which contains the bugs and most of the lice. It assumes the semi-pupa state almost as soon as hatched, and strangest of all, is, considering the size of the bee on which it lives, and from which it sucks its nourishment, enormously large. Two or three, and sometimes even more, (the new Encyclopedia Britannica says 50 or 100), are often found on a single bee. When we consider their great size we cannot wonder that they very soon devitalize the bees.

These, as yet, have done little damage, except in the south of Continental Europe. The fact that they have not become naturalized in the northern part of the Continent, England or America, would go to show that there is something inimical to their welfare in our climate, especially as they are constantly being introduced, coming as hangers-on to our imported bees. Within a year I have received them from no less than three sources—twice from New York and once from Pennsylvania—each time taken from bees just received from Italy. The only way that I could suggest to rid bees of them would be to make the entrance to the hive small, so that as the bees enter, they would be scraped off.

IMPORTANT SUGGESTION.

In view of the serious nature of this pest and the difficulty in the way of its extinction, I would urge importers, and people receiving imported queens, to be very careful to see that these lice, which, from their size, are so easily discovered, are surely removed before any queen harboring them is introduced. This advice is especially important, in view of the similarity in climate of our own beautiful South, to the sunny slopes of France and Italy. Very likely the lice could not flourish in our Southern States, but there would be great cause to fear the results of its introduction into our Eldorado, the genial States of the West. In California, they might be even worse than the drouth, as they might come as a permanent, not a temporary evil.

BEE HAWK—Libellula.

This large, fine lace wing is a neuropterous insect. It works in the Southern States and is called Mosquito-hawk.—Insects of the same genus are called dragon flies, devil's, darning-needles, &c. These are exceedingly predacious. In fact, the whole sub-order is insectivorous. From its four netted, veined wings, we can tell it at once from the asilus before mentioned, which has but two wings. The Bee or Mosquito-hawk is resplendent with metallic green, while the Bee Killer is of sober gray. The Mosquito Hawk is not inaptly named, as it not only preys on other insects, swooping down upon them with the dexterity of a hawk, but its graceful gyrations, as it sports in the warm sunshine at noonday, are not unlike those of our graceful hawks and falcons. These insects are found most abundant near water, as they lay their eggs in water, where the larvæ live and feed upon other animals. The larvæ are peculiar in breathing by gills in their rectum. The same water that bathes these organs and furnishes oxygen, is sent out in a jet, and thus sends the insect darting along. The larvæ also possess enormous jaws, which formidable weapons are masked till it is desired to use them, when the dipper-shaped mask is dropped or unhinged and the terrible jaws open and close upon the unsuspecting victim, which has but a brief time to bewail its temerity.

A writer from Georgia, in Gleanings, volume 6, page 35, states that these destroyers are easily scared away, or brought down by boys with whips, who soon become as expert in capturing the insects, as are the latter in seizing the bees. The insects are very wild and wary, and I should suppose this method would be very efficient.