Enemies of Bees. Bee-moth, its ravages. Defiance against it, [240]. Its habits. Known to Virgil. Time of appearance. Nocturnal in habits, [241]. Their agility. Vigilance of the bees against the moth. Havoc of sin in the heart, [242]. Disgusting effects of the moth worm in a hive. Wax the food of the moth larvæ. Making their cocoons, [243]. Devices to escape the bees. Time of development, [244]. Habits of the female when laying eggs. Of the worm when hatched, [245]. Our climate favorable to the increase of the moth. Moth not a native of America, [246]. Honey, its former plenty. Present depressure of its culture. Old mode of culture described, [247]. Depredations of the moth increased by patent hives. Aim of patent hives. Sulphur or starvation, [249]. Feeble swarms a nuisance, [250]. Notion prevailing in relation to breaking up stocks. Improved hives valueless without improved system of treatment, [251]. Pretended secrets in the management of bees. Strong stocks thrive under almost any circumstances, [252]. Stocks in costly hives. Circumstances under which the moth succeeds in a hive, [253]. Signs of worms in a hive, [254]. When entrenched difficult to remove. Method of avoiding their ravages, [255]. Combs having moth eggs to be removed and smoked, [257]. Uncovered comb to be removed, [258]. Loss of the queen the most fruitful occasion of ravages by the moth. Experiments on this point, [259]. Attempts to defend a queenless swarm against the moth useless, [260]. Strong queenless colonies destroyed when feeble ones with queens are untouched. Common hives furnish no remedy for the loss of the queen. Colonies without queens will perish, if not destroyed by the moth, [261]. Strong stocks rob queenless ones. Principal reasons of protection, [262]. Small stocks should have small space. Inefficiency of various contrivances, [263]. Useful precautions when using common hives. Destroy the larvæ of the moth early. Decoy of a woolen rag, [264]. Hollow or split sticks for traps. If the queen be lost, and worms infest the colony, break it up. Provision of the improved hives against moths, [265]. Moth-traps no help to careless bee-keepers. Incorrigibly careless persons should have nothing to do with bees, [266]. Worms, how removed from an improved hive. Sweet solutions useful to catch the moths. Interesting remarks of H. K. Oliver, on the bee-moth, [267]. Ravages of mice. Birds. Observations on the king-bird, [269]. Inhumanity and injurious effects of destroying birds, [270]. Other enemies of the bee. Precautions against dysentery. Bees not to be fed on liquid honey late in the season. Foul brood of the Germans, [271]. Produced by "American Honey." Peculiar kind of dysentery, [272].
Loss of the Queen. Queen often lost. Queens of strong hives seldom perish without providing for successors. Their death commonly occurs under favorable circumstances, [273]. Young queen sometimes matured before the death of the old one. Superannuated queens incapable of laying worker eggs. Case of precocious superannuation, [274]. Signs that there is no queen in a hive. Signs of queenless hives, [275]. Exhortation to wives, [276]. Difficult in common hives, to decide on the condition of the stock. Always easy with the movable comb hive, [277]. Bees sometimes refuse to accept of aid in their queenless state. Parallel in human conduct. Young bees in such hives will at once provide for a queen. An appeal to the young, [278]. Hives should be examined early in Spring. Destitute stocks should be united to others having queens. Reasons therefor. General treatment in early Spring, [279]. Hives should be cleansed in Spring. Durability and cheapness of hives, [280]. Undue regard to mere cheapness. Various causes destructive of queens, [281]. Agitation of the bees on missing their queen, [282]. Treatment of swarms that have lost their queens, [283]. Examination of the hive needful, [284]. Examination and treatment in the Fall. Persons who cannot attend to their bees themselves, may safely entrust their care to others, [285]. Business of the Apiarian united with that of the gardner. Experiments with queen bees, [286].
Union of Stocks. Transferring Bees. Starting an Apiary. Queenless colonies should be broken up, Spring and Fall. Small colonies should be united. Animal heat necessary in a hive. Small swarms in Winter consume much honey, [287]. Colonies to be united, should stand side by side. How to effect this. Removal of an Apiary in the working season, [288]. To secure the largest quantity of honey from a given number of stocks, [289]. Non-swarming plan. Moderate increase best, [290]. Transferring bees from common, to the movable comb hive, [291]. Successful experiment. Should not be attempted in cold weather. The process of transfer, [292]. Best time. May be done at any season when the weather is warm, [294]. Precaution against robbing, [295]. Combs should be transferred with the bees, [296]. Caution on trying new hives, [297]. Thrifty old swarms. Conditions of their thrift, [298]. Procuring bees to start an Apiary. New early swarms best. Signs to guide the inexperienced buyer, [299]. Directions for removing old colonies. For removing new swarms, [300]. To procure honey the first season. Novices should begin in a small way. Neglected Apiary, [303]. Superstitions about bees. Cautions to the inexperienced, against transferring, renewed. Parallel between bees and covetous men, [304].
Robbing. Idleness a great cause of it, [305]. Colonies should be examined and supplied with food in Spring. Appearance of robber bees, [306]. Their suspicious actions. Are real "Jerry Sneaks," [308]. Highway robbers, [309]. Bee battles. Subjected bees unite with the conquerors. Cautions against robbery. Importance of guarding against robbery, [310]. Efficiency of the movable blocks to this end. Comb with honey not to be exposed, [311]. Curious case of robbery, [314].
Directions for Feeding Bees. Feeding greatly mismanaged. Condition of the bees should be ascertained in the Spring. They should be supplied if needy, [315]. Many perish from want. Connection between feeding and breeding in the hive, [316]. Caution in feeding necessary. Results of over feeding, [317]. Necessary to feed largely in multiplying stocks. How to feed weak swarms in Spring, [319]. Considerations governing the quantity of food, [320]. Main object to produce bees. Proper condition of an Apiary at close of honey season, [321]. Feeding for Winter attended to in August. Unsealed honey sours. Sour food is unwholesome to bees. Striking instance, [322]. Spare honey to be apportioned among the stocks. Swarms with overstocks of honey do not breed so well. Surplus honey in Spring to be removed, [323]. Full frames exchanged for empty ones. Feeble stocks in Fall, to be broken up. Profits all come from strong swarms. Composition of a good bee-feed, [324]. Directions for feeding with the improved hive, [325]. Feeding useless when but little comb in the hive, [326]. Top feeding. Feeder described. Importance of water to bees, [328]. Sugar candy a valuable substitute for honey. Summer feeding, [330]. Bees with proper care need but little feeding. Quantity of honey necessary to winter a stock, [331]. Feeding as a source of profit. Selling W. I. honey a cheat, [332]. Honey not a secretion of the bee. Evaporation of its water the principal change it undergoes, [334]. Folly of diluting the feed of bees too much. Feeders of cheap honey for market, deceivers or deceived, [335]. Artificial liquid honey, [336]. Improved Maple sugar, [337]. Feeding bees on artificial honey not profitable, [337]. Dangerous feeding bees without floats. Their infatuation for liquid sweets, [339]. Like that of the inebriate for his cups, [340]. Avarice in bees and men, [341].