New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-07-09
ENEMIES or HONEY BEES.
THEY ARE NUMEROUS AND FOR THE MOST
PART CRAFTY
From The Hartford Courant.

From The Hartford Courant.
To the student Of natural history a morning
at the apiary seems well spent. not aiohe II
watching the manTuVres Of the honey pee pu
r. observing the various dwelIers oi the HSec
world who hover about tn" nome OF the bees
in the hope of Snatchiug taste of stolen sweets
But it is not the stranger insects only Wh'
inaoy the apiary of bees the ioDDer money
bees from other apiaries. and even from hlVeS II
he same apary. are apt not nfrequently T.
cause skrmish
These robbers. too lazy to seek among the
flowers their lawful booty dart about the en-
frances Of the hives. striving by art and CELEBRITY
to enter and bear away 10 their own hive IN
TioGcd honey.
II tie colony which they are trying to rob IS
strong one the maraudcrs are quickly pounceC
upon by the IS who guard the entrance to tn,
hive and by thes, guards they are rolled ove
and nippod at. and stung If possible.
The rObber usually mah"s a plucky hght. ana
as bees are clothed in an armOr OF scales,
still must enter between them 10 he fatal els'
the robber. in his valiant struggle for liberty
escapes unframed. But If the colony is weak
and its guards are few ana lIstIeSs the roppets
often succeed in destroying it, Frequently in the
spring or early summer. when the bees are
being fed sugar syrup in little wooden troushs
for the purposes Of brOOd-rearng, less INDUS
trous insects and other hymenoptera visit these
feeding places. alightng at the trOughs when
ever they can. and by swift darting escaping the
vengeance Of the bees. succeed in Snatchinl
many coveted SIPS.
Sometimes the bees are so BTeeully oCCup''
i'm examining their little honey sacs that they
trouble themselves Veiy little about the ntrud
ers and the latter Grink up the syrup side by
side with their sharp-tempered little neighbors
The yellow jackets fly in great numbers abou
the apiary at feeding time. but they do not try
to gain an entrance to the hive and many klnd!
of wasps fly back and forth, between their nests
and the feeding trough, at regular intervals. a.
described by Sir John Lubbock.
The most beautiful Of the wasps was a slim
brilliant dark blue insect. probably one Of the
solitary wasps seeking for bees to feed TO hei
young as we'll FOR honey.
The great yellow and black humble bee FIRE
quently visits the apiary. seemingly intent 81
socabity alone. for it does not alight but
keeps up a noisy booming over and among the
hives and seems to be the most honest Of all th'
insects a sort of clustering hail fellow, wei
met"
Blue flies and bright green ones and many
others less gayly huod. constantly are seen or
the porch Of the hive. trying To fly through the
entrance but the guards dart at them just as
constantly. finding them great nuisance tol
the guard bees are seldom quick enough TO catct
the flies. and 80 the latter keep them all the
time "shOOing" them off.
Ofttimes. brght-eyed brown toad VIII be
spied sitting close by a hive waiting patiently
till bee comes close enough for him 10 lick nm
down with it's lghtning-l like tongue.
Kingbirds fly swooping down on the apiary tC
catch the little honey gatherers, and the Gun
ming spiders spin their webs where the bees WI
become enmeshed and struggle 10 death Bu
the moths and the ants, when they gain foot
hold in the aUiary
The moth lays eggs in the comb and these de-
yelop into disgusting large white worms whict
tunnel their way through webby galleries IN
the wax. eating up everything and devastating
the colony
The Italian bees have proved themselves the
most efficient i'm Ike ping the moth from the hive
The artful little ant often succeeds in entering
a hive for she is swift and quiet in her move
ments, and is a nuisance To the beekeeper
In southern countries. where ants are numer-
GUS all sorts Of cOntriVanceS are reSorted to IN
the hope Of keeping the apary clear Of them.
II is amusing 20 watch a guard bee seize upon
enemy and conquer him. The bee holds the
hostile insect in its front legs. pnchng it and
rolling ii about. and also singing II If possible
When the invader is made helpless. the con-
quering bee, still hol irg her victim in her fore
legs makes strenuous efforts 10 fly with her
heavy burden. and. finally succeeding she rises
with her closely clasped victim and when at a
certain distance from the hive drops IL.
Sometimes it takes several Of the guards To
overcome the struggling enemy and together
they push the insect over the porch IF the hive
The bees If simply wounded. sometimes sue
coed in getting back to their own hive. but. be
ing incapacitated for work they are no longer
welcome there. and only meet with repulse from
their fellow colonists and. excluded from their
hive they crawl off somewhere and die. For
in the cooperation Of the colony of bees. each
has her appointed task, either to gather pollen.
bring water or honey. or to nurse the young bees
or guard the hive. and when untitled for these
tasks and no longer necessary to the welfare of
the colony. she is turned out to perish For
with the bees life means industry and in we'll
regulated colony OF about forty thousand bees.
and where bees are flying in and out the hive
every second. nothing seems TO be considered
but the perpetuatiOn Of the species. The butter
fly and other insects appear to enjoy but the
honey bee works night and day. and every labor
that it performs speaks for tuturity and not the
present