CHAPTER XXXVIII
THE BEES’ ENEMIES
BEES have many enemies, apart from robber bees, who try to steal their honey. In winter-time, when pressed by hunger, certain birds come to a bee-hive and commence tapping on the alighting-board. Of course some of the bees come to the door to see what is the matter, and no sooner do they appear on the threshold than the sharp little birds grab them in their beaks, and so make a meal. Birds often catch the bees as they are gathering nectar in the fields, and no one knows how many perish in this way.
Then there is the death’s-head moth, as it is called. You no doubt know that this is an insect which bears on its back markings like a skull, and hence its name. It sometimes enters a hive and makes a chirping noise. It is supposed that this fascinates the bees, and the moth is therefore able to take whatever it wants in the way of food.
Bees have fleas too, and though they are not very formidable enemies, they are a nuisance. A picture of one of these tiny mites is found in Plate XXXIV.
The worst enemies of the bees are diseases, of which there are several kinds. The most dreaded are dysentery and what is called the “Isle of Wight” disease. Many of our soldiers died of dysentery in the South African War, caused through their drinking bad water, and it is the same kind of illness which attacks the bees. The Isle of Wight disease is as peculiar as it is mysterious. It resembles the dreaded sleeping sickness from which natives of Africa suffer, and of which we have heard so much these last few years. The bees seem to lose all power of flying, and in a few days whole hives may die. It is called the Isle of Wight disease because it first appeared in that island a few years ago.
PLATE XXXIV
From a photo-micrograph by] [E. Hawks
Parasite of Bee