A SOLUTION OFFERED.
The hypothesis that I offer is original and new, and therefore open for criticism; if there is a better way to account for the mystery, I would be glad to know it.
From the first of June till late in the fall, the moth may be found around our hives, active at night, but still in the day. The only object probably is to find a suitable place to deposit its eggs, that the young may have food; if no proper and convenient place is found, why, I suppose it will take up with such as it can find; their eggs must be deposited somewhere, it may be in the cracks in the hive, in the dust at the bottom, or outside, as near the entrance as they dare approach. The bees running over them may get one or more of these eggs attached to their feet or bodies, and carry it among the combs, where it may be left to hatch. It is not at all probable that the moth ever passed through the hive among the bees, to deposit her eggs in the jars before mentioned. Had these jars been left on the hive, not a worm would have ever defaced a comb; because, when the bees are numerous, each worm as soon as it commences its work of destruction will be removed, that is, when it works on the surface, as in the boxes of honey—in breeding combs, they get in the centre and are more difficult to remove. By taking off these jars and removing the bees, it gave all the eggs that happened to be there a fair chance. Many writers finding the combs undisturbed when left on the hive till cold weather, recommend that as the only safe way, preferring to have the combs a little darker, than the risk of being destroyed by the worms. But I object to dark combs, and leaving the boxes will effectually prevent empty ones taking their places, which are necessary to get all the profits. I will offer a few more remarks in favor of my theory, and then give my remedy for the worms. I have found in all hives where the bees have been removed in warm weather, say between the middle of June and September, (and it has been a great many,) moth eggs enough among the combs to destroy them in a very short time, unless kept in a very cool place; this result has been uniform. Any person doubting this, may remove the bees from a hive that is full of combs in July or August; and close it to prevent the possibility of a moth entering, set it away in a temperature ranging from sixty to ninety, and if there are not worms enough to satisfy him that this is correct, he will have better success than I ever did. Yet, no such result will follow, when the bees are left among the combs, unless the swarm be very small; then the injury done will be in proportion. A strong stock may have as many moth eggs among the combs as a weak one, yet one will be scarcely injured, while the other may be nearly or quite destroyed.
Now, if this theory be correct, and the bees do actually carry these eggs among the combs, is there not a great deal of lost labor in trying to construct a moth-proof hive? The moth, or rather the worms, are ever present to devour the combs, whenever the bees have left them in this season.
METHOD OF KILLING WORMS IN BOXES.
Now, whether you are satisfied or not with the foregoing, we will proceed with the remedy. Perhaps you may find one box in ten that will have no worms about it, others may contain from one to twenty when they have been off a week or more. All the eggs should have a chance to hatch, which in cool weather may be three weeks. They should be watched, that no worms get large enough to injure the combs much, before they are destroyed. Get a close barrel or box that will exclude the air as much as possible; in this put the boxes, with the holes or bottom open. In one corner leave a place for a cup or dish of some kind, to hold some sulphur matches while burning. (They are made by dipping paper or rags in melted sulphur.) When all is ready, ignite the matches, and cover close for several hours. A little care is required to have it just right: if too little is used, the worms are not killed; if too much, it gives the combs a green color. A little experience will soon enable you to judge. If the worms are not killed on the first trial, another dose must be administered. Much less sulphur will adhere to paper or rags, if it is very hot, when dipped, than when just above the temperature necessary to melt it; this should be considered, as well as the number of boxes to be smoked, size of the vessel used in smoking them, &c.
Whether this gas from burning sulphur will destroy the eggs of the moth before the worm appears, I have not tested sufficiently to decide; but I do know that it is an effectual quietus for the larvæ!
FREEZING DESTROYS THEM.
Boxes taken off at the end of warm weather, and exposed in a freezing situation through the winter, appear to have all the worms as well as eggs for them destroyed by the cold; consequently, all boxes so exposed, may be kept any length of time; the only care being necessary, to shut out the moth effectually. But don't forget to look out for all combs from which the bees have been removed in warm weather. I prefer taking off all boxes at the end of the first yield of honey, even when I expect to put them on again for buckwheat honey. The bees at this season collect a great abundance of propolis, which they spread over the inside of the boxes as well as hive; in some instances it is spread on the glass so thick as to prevent the quality of honey being seen. There is no necessity for boxes on a hive at any season when there is no yield of honey to fill them. Sometimes even in a yield of buckwheat honey, a stock may contain too few bees to fill boxes, but just a few may go into them and put on the propolis; this should not be allowed, as it makes it look bad when used another year. At this season, (August) some old stocks may be full of combs, and but few bees, but swarms when they have got the hive full in time, are very sure to have bees enough to go into the boxes to work. I have known them to do so in three weeks after being hived.
OBJECTION TO USING BOXES BEFORE THE HIVE IS FULL.