WILD BEES WAS , A ND ANTS

A nd O the r S tinging In s e c ts

By E D WA R D §AU N D E R S

et c

Wi h nume ous Illust ations in the t ex and t r r t, Four C oloured Plates by

O TAN E A SAUN ERS C NS C . D

LONDO N

G EO RG E ROUTLEDGE 8c SONS,

UTT N 8: YO R' E P. O NEW : . D

d o

P R E FA C E

THE obj ect of this little book is to give in as simple a form as possible a short account of A of . some the British Wild Bees , Wasps , nts , etc , scientifically known as the Hymenoptem A cu lea to - s ci entific . Of these the non public rarely H H recognizes more than the ive Bee , the umble H Bee , the Wasp , and the ornet , Whereas there are about 400 different kinds to be found in this

' a nd the country, y can be recognized by any one Who is disposed to make a special study of the group . The author has not hesitated to make free use of the experiences of others in regard to the

of habits the insects he describes , and he has not thought it necessary in each case to make

He separate acknowledgment of this . takes

Mr H this opportunity of thanking . . Donis L Mr F . . . thorpe and . W Sladen for assistance A L in the chapters on nts and their odgers , H and umble Bees , respectively . P R E F A CE

These pages a re written onl y for the non s cientific , as the scientific entomologist will be already familiar with the elementary facts recorded ; but it is hoped that they may be of interest to lovers of Nature who wish to know a little about the insects they see roun d them

r and how they spend thei lives . Of this know ledge very little exists , as the scraps which have been here brought together evidence . There is an immense field Open for research and observa tion , and the writer of this little book will be very glad if the following pages should encourage any one to take up the subj ect and add to our

of present scanty stock information . A A E EDW RD S UND RS .

’

T ANN s . S . , WOKING C O N TENTS

T HE S UB J E CT IN GE NE R AL

THE SOLITARY GROUPS

THE S OLITARY BEES

THE CUC'OO BEES

THE F G OSSORS , OR DIG ERS

THE SOLITARY WASPS

THE SO CIAL GROUPS

THE ANTS

THE S O CIAL WASPS

THE HUMB LE BEES

THE BEES WITH BIFID TONGUES T HE BEES WITH P OINTED TONGUES

LEAF - CUTTING BEES 0 3 mmAND I TS HAB ITS A COLONY OF Antkopkom

P - BEES AND OLLEN COLLE CTI NCr

’ O T HOW T Y C' Y N BEES ONGUES , AND HE SU HONE A DREADFUL PARASITE CONTENTS

AMONGST THE BEES AT WOR'

A G L NTS, THEIR UESTS , AND THEIR ODGERS ' How CAN A N ACULEATE B E R E COGNI ZED 2 MALES AND F EMALES

THE V AGARIES OF COLOUR AND STRU CTURE IN THE

SE XES

THE B U R Y AB C DISTRI TION , ARIT , OR UNDAN E OF

V ARIOUS SPE CIES

’ O B W G N EES IN S .

O A LE A E E T B CU T S C . N REEDING , ON COLOUR

THE DEV ELOPMENT OF INSE CTS FROM THE EGG

ON STRU CTURE

I NDE X LI ST O F I LLUSTR A TI O N S IN TH E TEXT PAGE

1 . B ombus la va a nd n m h a f Pa ck a d 1 1 , r y p ter r 2 A . mmophila 2 2

3—4 S in . p es on the ta rs i of female Ammophila 2 3 5 T . ub ula r entrance to hole of w a s p 2 5 6 B . a s al s egments of a nts 33

7 - . R ose leaf pa rti a lly e a ten by b ees 52 8 T . u d ha i 6 fte rs of hind leg of Andrena, 7 9 6 . Corbicul a of humble b ee 7

10—12 l anin 69 . C e g a ppa ra tus of b ees

13 - 18 i f m nifi 71 . a s o b s a d H r ee , g e

19 . Ton u s of b s m a nifi d 73 g e ee , g e 2 0 i 75 . D agra m of tongue of b ee 2 1 . 77

2 2 t l n f ee 78 . S y/ ops la rva in a bd omi al ca vity o b 2 101 3 An nnae of hol w a s s . . te 'ey e p ' ' 2 4 L m l ' hol w a s s 101 . egs of a e ey e p

' ’ 103 2 5 . Tibia of male Cra bro cri bra mus

2 6 An nnae of ma l Um bra cri bra rius 103 . te e

2 7 a d of mal a nd f m al Cra b o cl ea tus 103 . He e e e r yp

2 8 P a s of the ins c 133 . rt e t

DESCRIPTION O F THE COLOURED PLATES

PLATE A

F s . 1 2 3 . F o mi c s n uin r a a ea La t . m a m a a nd ig , , r g le, fe le ,

- o r. The hos of Lomechus a a s w rke t (p . l o a s la ve m a king s c s m a s u a f n s s o d a d a v s e tc . n a pe ie ke irreg l r e t e le e , , ge er lly a a ns a s o n b a g i t l pi g nk .

F s . 4 5 . M u tilla, eu o aea Lima : m a a nd m a . One of ig , r p le fe le the few B ritis h s pecies of Aculea te s where the fem a le is W n s s ound i n s a nd a c s unn n i the i gle f y pl e r i g n s un .

’ i Oercer s r r F . 6 . z n i a e a a L. m a b u o s in the s a nd a nd g fe le ; rr w ,

provis ions its nes t w ith b eetles (p .

7 . A mmo hila s abulos a L. m a b u o s in the s a nd p fe le ; rr w , o v s ons its n s h ca a s cu a for i ts v pr i i e t wit terpill r , pe li r ery

elonga ted wa is t (p .

'

8 C ab o cribra rzus L. m a : cul a for its a dd . r r le pe i r p le

like tibiae a nd fl a ttened a ntennae (p .

d us n es m a cu i a for the o m of O yner s pi ip L. le ; pe l r f r its m dd m o a hi ch a re out out a m os i n tw o s m i le fe r , w l t e i a a s a ub u a n a nc to her circles (p . fem le m ke t l r e tr e

nes t (p .

PLATE B

’ - i n s i ts c s h a inctus L. m a Fi 10 . Colletes s ucc g . fe le ; l e ell wit c o on n s a nd b a n s hos gluey m a te ri a l (p . l i zes i y k ; t

of Epeolus rufipes ( fig . xi X11 DESCRIPTI ON O F THE COLOURED PLATE S

1 1 S hecodes s ub uadra tus S mith ma cuc oo of a Fig . . p q fe le k

s pecies of Halictus ; fem a le hiberna te s li ke its hos t (p .

d 2 li ctus lencozoni us S oh . b u o s in the oun 1 . Ha Fig . r rr w gr ; ili rons T the hos t of S phecodes p f horns (p .

m a the o n n s s in a b o L. Fi . 1 3 . c a g p r r fe le ( H r et) , e t

hollow trees hos t of the r are beetle Vellei us dila ta tus (p .

f 14. es vul a i s L. ma one of our co s Fig . V pa g r e le mmone t as s s s s a i the ound hos of a w p ; ne t u u lly n gr (p . t b us peculi ar eetle (M etoec pa radoxus (p .

e S oh m d na ul va . a and m a F s . 15 1 6 . A n the b ee ig , r f r le fe le ;

hi ch u o s in la n s e tc . . hos of Noma da ru corni s w b rr w w , (p t fl

va r s i na ta . . g (p

1 P ur us urain el m . F a . a n us G m s Fig . 7 g e le ; leg loaded with bu s i ha d s and a hs o n o n e tc . . Ma s p lle , rr w r y p t , (p le s leep curled up a mongs t the ray s of yellow c ompos ite fl owers .

N ru rni s v r 1 8 . orna da co L. a s i na ta cuc oo of e fi . g k A ndr na ulva fi s 1 5 a nd f ( g .

Fi 19 E eolus ru es Thorns g . . p fip female ; cuckoo of Colletes s ucc nc fi i tus ( g .

PLATE C

— M e a chile ma itima 'i rb ma b 20 . u s i Fig . g r y fe le ; rrow n the ound m a s its c s Of c s of av s hi ch cu s out gr , ke ell pie e le e , w it t h its m a ndi bl s hos of Caeli ox s conoid ea wit e t y .

Fi s . 2 1 2 2 . Cwliox s conoid ea I lli mal and mal uc g , y g e fe e ; c koo

2 f M e a chile ill hbi el 3 . B u s o W u la 'i b Fi . o in a c g rr w g g r y, pie e of rotten wi llow ; ea ch b urrow origina lly contained six c l s b ut two of the -hand s i s ha v b n los e l , left er e e ee t. DESCRIPTION O F THE COLOURED PLA TES Xl ll

P LATE D

F s . 2 4 and 25 . A ntho ho ra ili es F m a a nd m a ig p p p . le fe le . A S n b ee the m a of h ch ma o n b e s n in a d ns pri g , le w i y fte ee g r e , d a n om fl o to fl o 8 1 h t e rti g fr wer wer (p . ) w ile h female c l c s o n o ms a c s ol e t p lle it f r l rge olonie (p .

2 M clecta a ma ta P z . cuc f ntho hor il Fi . 6 . oo o A a i es g r k p p p .

2 A nthidi um ma ni ca tum L. nv s s its c s h Fig . 7 i e t ell wit the d o n off the s m s of ab a a n s h ch s s off w te l i te pl t , w i it trip s with its m a ndi b le (p .

- 2 8 0 8 min, bi color S ahr . m a n s s in s na s h s Fi . . g fe le ; e t il ell , which it s ometim es covers u p with s m a ll pieces of gra s s S m s a l m ound i s o m d s m n a d m nu v te till ittle f r e , re e bli g i i ti e ’ a nts nes t (p .

mbus te es t i s L. m a . One O f the comm on s 2 9 . B o Fig . rr r fe le e t s s i n the o nd I t is the of our Humble B ees ; it ne t gr u . h s of P s i th us c es ta fi s h ch s mb s v c os o t yr , w i re e le it ery l ely s s ha w a s h b d b Mr in c olour ; it is this pecie t t ex i ite y . a S lad en a t the Ma id s tone Agricu ltur l H a ll (p .

B ombus la ida i a s L. a no h comm on umb 30 . Fig . p r t er H le B ee a s o a n und ound b u d is the hos of P s i th us , l ergr il er it t yr i s rupes tr .

he c c oo of B ombus i th rii s u es t i s F . ma t u 3 1 . P s Fig . y r p r fe le k i a s h ch c os s m b s x c for the n a la pida r , w i it l ely re e le e ept e rly s b lac k colour of the wing .

THE SUBJECT IN GENERAL

I THINK I ought here to say why I propose to limit myself to an account of a certain portion H only of the ymenoptera . The reason for

fir this , in the st place , is that the section which I have selected is the only one of which I have

n of any special k owledge ; it consists the bees ,

s andw a s s wasps , ants and p , four groups which make up the stinging section of the order

or perhaps more accurately , which have poison bags connected with their egg - laying

o An apparatus r ovipos i tor . other reason for their selection lies in their nesting habits these enable one to get a further insight into their economy and ways than can be Obtained from those of almost any other group or order— a t any rate they make them comparatively easy

one s o i to study ; can , to say , find these l ttle

r creatu es at home , whereas in most orders there seems to be no defini te home to which the indi

1 B .W A . . B 2 THE SUBJ ECT IN GENERA L viduals may be traced ; a great advantage also in selecting the stinging groups for study is that they are creatures of the Spring and sum

of mer, and the sunshine , so that the weather which tempts them out to their duties is of the kind most agreeable to those who wish to investigate their habits . The habits of the hive bee have not been

on s o touched , as many excellent treatises have been written on them that any observations

us here would be superfluo . Al though these groups are di stinguished by their stinging habits , it is only the female that possesses a sting— the male is a most harm less creature and quite incapable of injuring

n A or any o e . male wasp even a male hornet may be handled with absolute impunity , only it is wise to be certain as to the sex of the indi vidual before presuming to play with it too much A word here may perhaps be said about P stinging . eople often talk about a gnat sting ing or a stinging fly ; it may be diffi cult to ' i define exactly what to st ng means , but the writer has always considered that a sting is inflicted by the tail end of the creature or a THE SUBJ ECT IN GENERA L 3

bite by the mouth . A fly or gnat no doubt

’ inserts its proboscis into one s flesh just as a wasp does its sting ; but the actions of such opposite parts of the body surely demand di s

As h e tinct names . we ave been alluding to fli s it may not be inappropriate t o say here that all the creatures we are going to consider have four membranous wings except the worker ants and a very few forms which are comparatively sel dom met with . By this character they may f fli at once be known rom es , which have only tw o membranous wings . The large brown ' drone flies so Often seen on the windows of our r ooms , especially in autumn , and which most people mistake for hive bees , to which they certainly bear a considerable general resemblance , may be detected at once by wanting the tw o hind wings of the bee . ' '

. H The aculeate , or stinging , ymenoptera , are divided into sections and families accordin g to their structure but the groups which stand out most clearly in regard t o their habits are the solitary and social species , the predaceous and non - predaceous and the inqui lines or cuckoos . 4 THE SUBJECT IN GENERA L

The vast maj ority of the aculeate Hymen

i e Optera are what are called solitary . . one male and one female alone are interested in the production of the nest but there are also three ' — social groups the ants , the true wasps , and the humble and hive bees . These' are called social because they form communities and all work together towards the maintenance of the nest . In the social Species there are two forms of the females— the queens and the workers ; these latter have the ovaries imperfectly developed , and in the humble bees and wasps they only differ outwardly from the fully developed females or queens by being smaller .

In the ants , however, the workers are Wingless , and of a very different form from that of the

r Ole queen . The of these workers seem s to be to do the general work of the nest ; they have been known to lay fertile eggs , but the resulting offspring has always been male . Between these conditions Of solitary and social we know of no actually intermediate stages . We do not seem to see any attempts on the part of solitary bees to become social or e a di hi vice v rs . The only con tion known w ch

THE SOLITARY GROUP S

ALL the solitary kinds appear to feed themselves on vegetable juices , honey , etc . , but there is a well - marked division between those who pro ff vision the cells of their O spring with insects ,

or either fully developed in the larval stages , and those who provision them with the pollen of r flowe s , honey, etc . The theory is that originally all fed their cells with insects , but that by degrees the more progressive found that the food which sui ted themselves would equally

ur n no ish their offspring , and accordi gly pro vid ed them with vegetable nourishment . We

fin d A r no intermediate stages . ce tain class

on n still goes feeding o the old principle . The members of this Class are known as fos s ors or

on diggers , while those which feed the new prin ' ' - ciple are called Anthophila or flower lovers .

These are not very happy names , as many of the Anthophila dig out holes for their nests just THE SOLITA RY GROUPS 7

os s ors in the same way as the f do , and

o o s many of the f s s r are found in flowers , appar ently enj oying them just as much as a truly anthophilous species would , although no doubt often with the ulterior Obj ect of capturing some insect for their young Still these names are known as representing these two sections all over the world , and therefore it is better to keep t o them even if they are not as descriptive l as one wou d like them to be . ' os s ors or r The f , diggers , have all compa a tivel b ifid y Short and tongues, and have , as a

in r rule , little the way Of hai y covering , and what hairs they have are Simple and only in

- very rare instances branched or feather like . The hind legs of the females are not modified

w a in any y so as to enable them to collect pollen , their legs are usually long and slender, and they are a dmirably adapted t o their life habits of

- t e C . r hunting Spiders , insects , , for thei young .

Antho h la or fl ow er On the other hand , the p i lovers are specially adapted for pollen collect ing . Their tongues vary from a short form like that of some fos s ors to the long tongues of the l humb e bees . Their hairs are always plumose 8 THE SOLITA RY GROUP S or branched on some part of the body and the hind legs of the females in most Species are provided on the tibia or shin with a Special brush on which pollen may be collected . In

n - some of the lo g tongued bees , however , this brush occurs on the underside of the body instead

- of on the tibia . The pollen collecting arrange ments of the different genera of the Anthophila and the corresponding organs for cleaning off the pollen again are amongst the most interesting instances of modification and adaptation : some Of the more striking of these will be mentioned

65 s later on . (See pp . qq. ) THE SOLITARY BEES

THE life - history of an ordinary pair of solitary

: bees is , roughly , as follows I will take for an example one of the Spring Species of Andrcna . M any people know the little red bee , which for some apparently unaccountable reason sud d enly appears in myriads on their lawn or gravel path , throwing up little mounds of finely powdered earth— in this respect being quite different from worm casts , which are formed of wet mould and the particles of which cling together — sometimes causing considerable alarm

o as to the possible effect n the lawn . These have hatched out from burrows made by their

e par nts in the previous year , the mouths of which have been filled up with earth and therefore are quite invisible till the newly fledged bees gnaw

r their way out . They , in thei turn , are now making fresh burrows for their own broods ' possibly they infested some one else ’ s lawn the year before or were only in comparatively small 1 0 THE SOLITA RY BEES numbers on the lawn under notice and s o passed unrecognized . They may safely be left alone , as they never seem to breed many consecutive years in one such locality : probably the treat ment of a lawn does not suit them , mowing and i rolling upsetting their arrangements . We w ll now consider these arrangements . The female bee , SO soon as she realizes that S he is charged with

r f the duty of providing for her futu e o fspring , makes a burrow in the ground , and the earth thrown up from the tunnel forms the little heap which is so observable ; this burrow varies in depth from 6 to 1 2 inches and has Short lateral branches

of s he i each these Shapes , more or less , nto the

form of a cell , provisions it with a small mass of pollen mixed with honey for the maintenance

O f She the larva when hatched , and lays her egg ;

then seals up that cell and proceeds to the next , and in this way fills the burrow up until pretty

near the surface . The bee caterpillar when

- hatched is a white grub like creature which ,

for after devouring the food provided it , becomes

more or less torpid ; it then makes its final

how change of skin , after long a period is probably

u . ncertain , and appears in the nymph stage THE SOLITA RY BEES 1 1

This stage corresponds to the Chrysalis of a

or r moth butterfly, the creature being sho tened up and rather more like the perfect insect com

s s P pa cted into the malle t form possible . eople are often misled into the idea that the caterpillar

forms the chrysalis over its former self, whereas the chrysalis has been all the time forming inside the caterpillar and only Shows itself when the final skin is shed ; of course some caterpillars

. 1 . o m us a a an d m h a a a d . FIG B b , l rv ny p : fter P ck r

Spin a cocoon over themselves before they change t their Skin , but hen the true chrysalis is found A inside the cocoon . curious fact connected with the change from the nymph to the perfect insect is that this takes place sometimes as early as August in the year preceding their appearance ; s o that cells dug up in August may contain ful ly fledged insects which are not due to appear till April or May of the following

ul year . It is wonderf also how long life can be 1 2 THE SOLITA RY BEES

sustained by these creatures in the full - fed

larva condition . Some years ago I collected a number of pierced bramble stems in order t o breed out some of the small s a ndw a s ps which nest

Ma in them . On opening them in y , when the

perfect insects are generally ready to appear , I found that several of the larvae had rather

Shrunk up and had not changed into nymphs .

These I left in the stems , covering them up again , and they appeared as perfect insects in the Ma y

of the following year . The account given of the nesting habits of A ndrena our . the above of lawns , etc , is more

or less true of nearly all the solitary bees .

ir in The methods vary, some burrow the ground ,

in some in Old wood , some in snail shells, some bramble stems or straws or the hollow stems of

or i various plants , some in holes crev ces in walls, etc . , and their methods of building their cells vary exceedingly all of these are of great interest and some display an ingenuity which is qui te surprising . Of these Special nesting habits some of the most striking will be mentioned

on later . Before leaving these general remarks on the

THE CUC'OO BEES

of THESE cuckoos live at the expense their hosts . The mother of the industrial brood makes her cell and provisions it , and lays her egg . The cuckoo bee manages to enter also and lay her egg in the same cell , the usual result being that the cuckoo devours most of the food instead of the rightful Offspring , which gradually gets starved and dies , the cuckoo appearing in its place ;

how but there have been cases , frequent they di f f are is f icult to say , in which both O fsprings have emerged . The whole problem of the relationships b e

is tween host and cuckoo most interesting . In some cases the cuckoos are so like their hosts

fi in that it is dif cult to tell one from the other , others they are SO unlike that it is difficult to trace any resemblance between them . There

f i of are a great number of dif erent k nds cuckoos , and most of them select a special host to associate

1 4 THE CUCKOO BEES 1 5

with . and are never found except with that species . There are , however , cases of cuckoos

of one which visit the nests more than host , and cases of hosts which are visited by several kinds

f r - o . cuckoos In the sho t tongued bees , with the

of Halictus S hccodes t e exception and p , h cuckoos are quite unlike their hosts both in form and

Andrew s colour . In the (the lawn bee being

one of them) the hosts are clothed with reddish ,

or of brown and black , hairs , and are a more i or . 1 5 less stout bu ld (pl B , , The cuckoos

of are elegant in shape , almost devoid hairs , and most of them are striped with yellow or brown

across the b od y so that they present a wasp - like

one appearance (pl . B , Species more unlike another than host and cuckoo one could hardly imagine ; still this stranger seems to get access

to the nest of its host without Opposition . In a colony of Andrew one may see the cuckoos (which rej oice in the name of Noma da or wanderers) flying about among the females of

or r the industrious bee , and no alarm conce n

AS appears to be felt by the latter . we go up in the

of i e scale bees , . . towards the more specialized ,

and arrive at those with longer tongues , the 1 6 THE CUCKOO BEES cuckoos are foun d as a rule to resemble their hosts more closely , both in colour and structure , and when we reach the social genus i B ombus . e ( . the humble bees) we find the cuck

oos . 3 0 3 1 so like their hosts (pl D , , ) that even entomologists of experience mistake one for A . i s the other p (the hive bee) has no cuckoo . It seems to be theoretically probable that both cuckoo and host once originated from common parents ; this is suggested by the similarity of structure of certain parts Of both host and cuckoo , even in cases where they are

m A dre Noma da . n w otherwise most dissi ilar and , for instance , which are very unlike , as stated above , agree in both having very feeble stings and in possessing three conspicuous Spines on the upper and posterior edge of the orbit of the

A Andrew larva . lso , although the host has a

r Noma da sho t tongue , and , its cuckoo , a long

’ one labi a l a l i of , the appendages ( p p ) the latter s tongue are framed on the same plan as those of

of A ndrena the tongue , and are quite unlike

- those of the other long tongued bees . On the

other hand , the cuckoos of the social species resemble them so closely in structure as well as THE CUCKOO BEES 1 7 appearance that it is more necessary t o search

of f for points di ference than of similarity . There

one of is only case known a cuckoo wasp , and that resembles its host even more closely than do the

of Al l cuckoos the humble bees . these points certainly suggest the probability that the social bees and wasps and their cuckoos adopted different habits at a much more recent date than the solitary Species , and therefore have not had so much time to become differentiated in structure .

The only short - tongued bees which have cuckoos o f similar structure are the Species of Ha li ci a s

1 2 S h ode . ec s . (pl B , ) their cuckoos , p (pl B ,

to Ha li ctus are closely allied them , but then and

Sphecodes are most peculiar genera ; although

r - sho t tongued , their females spend the winter

r in the ea th , as do the social bees and wasps

(see p . and they colonize largely , which

- to may prove be a step towards socialism .

W B . .A . THE F OSSORS OR DIGGERS

I N many respects the insects of this section adopt the same methods as the solitary bees so

of far as the construction their nests is concerned , b ut the food brought home for their offspring

is animal instead of vegetable . In order to supply their larvae with fresh meat these little

r ur c eat es , when they have captured a suitable

prey , sting it in such a way that it becomes

paralyzed , but does not die ; after provisioning a cell with the necessary number of these para l ti cs on y , the mother lays her egg one of them

or l amongst them , and closes up the cel . In

ul consequence of this wonderf maternal instinct ,

or foresight , whatever the faculty may be , the larva when hatched fin ds fresh food ready for

consumption . The various species provision f their nests with di ferent kinds of foods , and some appear to be most fastidious in their

selection , and are said never to err in choosing 1 8 THE FOSSORS OR DIGGERS 1 9

of r species some pa ticular family , thereby dis playing a discernment worthy of any advanced

entomologist . Some provision their cells with

a beetles , some with gr sshoppers , others with

Spiders , caterpillars , plant lice , etc . The strength possessed by the female fossor

must be proportionately enormous , as she can

bring back to her burrow, after paralyzing them,

insects many times her own Size . It is a most interesting Sight to see the excitement and flurry of the captor as it tries to drag along some

on huge prey to its nest . I remember seeing e

- dragging along a good sized caterpillar, of a

noctuid moth, over rather rough ground : the

poor creature had a difficult j ob ; it had to go

backwards itself, and pull the body of the cater it— pillar, after its behaviour was very much like that of an ant which has a large burden ; at times it would loose its hold of it and try it from some other quarter ; however , by degrees , by pulling and tugging , the prey was safely brought home , but the force expended must have been very great . M any species , however , hunt insects of much smaller size than themselves , and it is those which take a fancy to grasshoppers and cater 2 0 THE FOSSORS OR DIGGERS pillars which seem to be the most doughty in

of . r deeds force One , a ve y rare kind in this

on country, sets its affection especially the honey bee as a prey ; the tw o insects are about equal in size , but the hive bee must be a danger ous foe t o attack, and one would have thought as likely t o sting its captor as its captor would be to sting it ; also one would imagine that a hive bee, unless thoroughly paralyzed , would be a dangerous subj ect for a juvenile larva to commence making a meal upon 'but whether the venture ever turns out un satisfactorily there

t o are no data Show , so far as I am aware . The larvae must vary very much in their tastes one can imagine that a nice juicy caterpillar

or even a good fat grasshopper, may be appetizing

one and easily assimilated , but can equally fancy

a w ho that the larv e , wake up to find their food

consisting of small hard beetles , may feel more

’ or less resentment against their parents ideas Of dainties for the young 'Still they seem t o

on out thrive it , and come eventually as exact

A of likenesses Of their parents . large number

the fossors inhabit dry sandy wastes , such as L the dunes along the sea coast at Deal , owestoft ,

2 2 THE FOSSORS OR DIGGERS

vary exceedingly in size , Shape and colour . Our largest species are about an inch long and

our smallest about the eighth of an Inch , nearly all ' having the body where it j oins the thorax con

s tri cted into a very narrow waist ; this is some

i oi t mes considerable length . In one genus known

Ammo h 2 to entomologists by the name p ila (fig . ) or

2 . FIG .

lover of the s and the waist is practically the longest part of the body , so that looking at one

sideways as it flies along , one could almost be deceived into thinking that there were two A insects , one following the other (cf . pl . , fig .

r In colou , there seem to be three dominant

. . . 1 7 schemes Black (cf pl B , fig ) black with a f A o . . . 7 red band across the body ( pl , fig ) and

. A black banded with yellow , like a wasp (cf pl . ,

6 8 . figs . and , etc ) In some the yellow bands may not be complete , and appear only as spots on each

or Side of the body segments, the red band may

be almost obliterated , or the black species may THE FOSSORS OR DIGGERS 2 3 be more or less variegated with yellow spots on the head and thorax , but as a general rule all our species fall into one or other of these colour

our fre schemes . The females of some of sand q uenting Species have beautiful combs on their

r ha vm or f ont feet , each j oint of the tarsi g one more 3 long spines on its external side (figs . and

. 3 . FIG FIG . 4.

These are Of importance to them in their burrow

one ing , as they enable them to move with kick of their front leg a considerable amount of the dry sand in which they make their nests .

Al . r r though sandy commons , etc , are the eso t

of many fossors , others may be found burrowing

or in wood in hard pathways or banks ; in fact,

like most other insects , some of their members

may be found almost anywhere . THE SOLITARY WASPS

THE ordinary wasps are acquaintances of every

one not s o , but the solitaryorkeyhole wasps are well

m un known , although they are far fro common . They are little narrow black insects striped across

the body with yellow , belonging to the genus A rus . r Odyne (pl , and might hardly be ecog ni z ed as belonging to the same family as the

true or social wasps . Still they have con

rable of r s id e powers stinging , and fold thei wings lengthwise when at rest li ke their larger

relatives . I dare say some people may have noticed that a wasp ’ s wing sometimes assumes

a narrow straight form , quite unlike what it is when expanded . This is due to the wasp being able to fold its wing lengthwise like a fan .

The wasp tribe are , so far as I know, the only H hi stinging ymenoptera w ch have this power .

They make their nests of mud , etc . , in crevices l t of wal s , in banks , in plant stems , and of en THE SOLITA RY WA SPS 2 5

in most inconvenient places , such as keyholes , etc . Some of the solitary wasps have a very curious habit of making a tubul ar entrance to

r thei hole . These may sometimes be seen proj ecting from sandy banks . The tube is

of f l composed a series o i ttle pellets of mud,

hi of w ch the wasp by degrees , with the help

r of its mouth secretions , sticks together till a so t openwork cur ved tube of sometimes an inch long is hi formed (fig . T s curve is directed downwards ,

FIG . 5 . so that the wasp has to creep up it before

reaching the actual orifice of the nest . It looks

as if the fir st shower of rain would wash the

whole structure away , and I have very little of doubt that it often does so . The obj ect

these tubes is difficult to appreciate . There is

a bee on the continent which makes straight

t o chimn eys above its holes , so as raise the entrance above the surrounding herbage possibly these solitary wasps once required 2 6 THE SOLITARY WASP S

their tubes also for some such purpose , and have continued on truly conservative lines to build them long after all usefulness has passed away from the habit anyhow they are very interesting

fu n and beauti l structures . I have fou d the tubes of one of our rarer species proj ecting

di out of perpen cularly the level sand , but even then the tubes were curved over at the end , so that the wasp had to go up and down again .

F . before entering its actual hole . The Rev . . D Morice in 1 906 found the tubes of the same Species in numbers proj ecting from the walls of an Old stuccoed cottage situated close to the mi locality where I found ne , so it is evident that more than one situation suits its require

ments . The solitary wasps provision their

In cells with caterpillars , stinging them the

same w a y as the fossors do . One .very peculiar

one hi genus , of Species only in t s country , has its body much narrowed at the waist by reason of the constricted form of the basal segment ; it makes a little round nest of clay whi ch it suspends

r or hi f om a twig of heather other plant . T s Species is rarely met with except on the heathery

of u H commons S rrey , ants , Dorset , etc . The THE SOLITARY WASPS 2 7 solitary wasps are subj ect to the attacks of cuckoos belonging to the j ew el fly or Chrys i s tribe these behave differently from those belonging

ae to the aculeate groups , as their larv do not eat the food laid up for the wasp , but wait till the wasp larva has finished feeding up , and then devour it . Unlike as these cuckoos are to their hosts in their brilliant metallic coloration ,

r etc . , they have structu al characters curiously like theirs, SO that even here a common parentage in bygone generations may be reasonably sus t ected . A p present , however, they are placed , except by a few systematists , in quite distinct

the H families of ymenoptera . In general form these solitary wasps resemble the fossors more than the bees they have mostly

short tongues (I think all our British ones have) , and their hairs are Simple or more or less Spirally

twisted . THE SOCIAL GROUPS

THE social bees are certainly the most highly

Antho hila Specialized of the p , and the social wasps

of Di b tera the p p or insects with folded wings .

The ants occupy a less defini te position : they would seem to be the outcome of speciali zation

s among the fo sors , only they feed their young with vegetable j ui ces and not with animal

d o as the latter . They are always kept as

Hetero w a separate tribe under the name gy , but for our purposes the better known word ffi ant will su ce . The hive bee and the social wasps are the only British Hymenoptera which adopt the

- r hexagonal cell formation in thei nests, the bee hi fas oning its cells in wax , the wasps and hornet in masticated wood or paper . The formation

’ ul of ants nests is far less reg ar , being composed

of irregular passages , called galleries , and Open

a i sp ces , no doubt bu lt on a plan, but probably 2 8

3 0 THE SOCIAL GROUPS

It will be seen from these remarks that the three social groups are very distinct in their methods of nest making , and have really very little in common except the social habit . The humble bees have their cuckoos one Species of wasp

of has a cuckoo , and there is a possible case a cuckoo amongst the continental ants but this has not yet been observed in this country . The ants harbour SO many species of insects in their nests besides their ow n family that it is difli cult to form an idea as to whether the case in ques tion is at all analogous to that of host and cuckoo

leat e in the other a cu s or not . THE A NTS

THESE little creatures are probably the most intelligent of all the insects— and yet at times

they seem to wander about almost aimlessly . A worker may be found with an insect or some thing which it is eagerly dragging along and

drops probably from fear . It appears anxious

r to regain its hold of it , but goes about in all so ts

of wrong directions before it again finds it , it may be to make ‘sure its enemy is clear away ff before it resumes operations , but the e ect to the ordinary onlooker is one of sheer incapacity at the same time the wonderful habits Of the

tribe , the way in which they keep plant lice

a for their larv e , their methods of carrying each

- - other, their nest building , and the Slave making

Of int elli instincts some of the species , Show an gence surpassed by no other family of insects . Their nests are formed in very various ways the same species even will sometimes nest under a stone and sometimes make ant hills ; some 3 1 3 2 THE ANTS of the large Species make their nests of huge

of 400 500 heaps fir needles, and number to thous and in one nest— others live in quite small

' old rotten communities , nesting in bramble stems , wood , moss, etc . One little species , rare with

’ of us , lives in the walls other ants nests , j ust as mi ce live in the walls of our houses ; another quite small Speci es lives apparently on fr iendly

or terms with the common large red horse ant ,

un un and may be fo d r ning about amongst them , on and in their nests , but , so far as I know , nothi ng is known as t o how its young are reared . There is a cur ious divi sion in the family between the ants that have true stings and those which

n of our have ot . The large ants fir woods can bite and are able to ej ect poison through the apical Opening of the body into the wound

they create , but these as well as the larger and smaller black ants and some others have the

of our sting undeveloped , whereas some small Species have a sting which they can use with

considerable effect ; thi s difference in habit is accompanied by a difference In the structure

in the basal segments of the body . In the stin gless species the basal segment is reduced THE A NTS 3 3

ri h fi t o a fl at u p g t transverse scale ( g . in the stinging ants two segments at the base are reduced 6 to nodes (fig . , There is an exception in the

of one P onera case little rare genus , , which has only the basal abdominal segment reduced t o a scale although a much thicker scale than in the

. 6 . others (fig , and yet which has a distinct sting These arrangements give the body very free movement s o that the tail can be bent forward

An o till it reaches the head . other curious distin tion between the stingers and non - stingers is that the larvae Of the former Spin cocoons and those of the latter do not ; the larvae of F ormi ca fus ca

d o do s o ex ce occasionally not , but they are an p C tion to the rule . ocoon spinning seems to

ae fi involve the larv in some dif culties , as without the help of the worker ants they are often unable to extract themselves from their prison . This

not is a condition which does , I believe , exist

r in other g oups . In the stingless ants there is a curious difference in habit between the

B . w . A D , 34 THE A NTS

S of F ormi ca di pecies the genus , where , accor ng

t o F orel , the workers do not follow in line over

r fr on unknown g ound , and equently carry e

one another, the carried being rolled up under

of of La s ius the head the other, and the species ,

r one where the wo kers follow another in line , A but never carry each other . mong the stinging ants another method of carrying occurs in certain

r one genera . The po ter seizes the she wishes to carry by the external edge of one Of her mandibles and then throws her over her

‘ back , so that she lies along the back Of her porter with her ventral aspect uppermost and t her legs and antennae folded as in the nymph s ate . Neither of these methods sounds very comfort

’ of r able , but then probably an ant s idea comfo t

ow ff and our n may be very di erent .

L A Ants Bees a nd Was s ord vebury, in his , p , tells us that he has known a male of M yrmica

ra i nodi s for no g live nine months , although

r di e doubt, as he says, they gene ally almost

t o immediately, and he has known queen ants hi live for seven years , and workers , w ch he had

n in his est, for six years . THE SOCIAL WASPS

ff OF these we have only seven di erent kinds , and with the exception of the hornet they are

all very much alike . One often hears people say that they have seen such a large wasp that

no they think it must have been a hornet , but one who has ever seen a hornet could mistake

f r n red - bro a wasp o o e . A hornet is wn with

n bla ck yellow marki gs (pl . B , a wasp is and

- yellow , and altogether a less formidable looking

not creature (pl . B , Even a queen wasp is

s o rn large as a small worker ho et . The hornet

our nests in hollow trees , three commoner wasps ' nest , as a rule , in the ground , but occasionally in f . o r outhouses , under roofs , etc One the othe s as a

rule makes its nest in shrubs , but occasionally

in s or in the ground , another always nests a bu h

or rr shrub , preferring a gooseberry cu ant bush , and the only remaining one is a cuckoo of one

o n - f the grou d species . The gooseberry bush

3 5 3 6 THE SOCIA L WA SPS

not in wasp is a common Species the south , but in the midlands and north it is abundant .

Wasps will eat most things , but are especially f o . Ves a fond syrups and sweets One species , p s lves tris y , which seldom enters our houses , is very partial to the flowers of S crophula ri a (Fig

r of hi wo t) . One rarely finds a plant t s in full blossom without finding its attendant wasps . I have seen other species of wasps also visiting

s lves tri s is r it, but y p actically sure to be there . The diet which wasps provide for their larvae

mi one is probably a xed , but consists largely of Dr insects . Ormerod says that a micro scopic examination of the contents of a larval ' of stomach shows the mass to consist scales ,

i of of ha rs and other fragments insects , hairs vegetables and other substances less easy of ' recognition . Wasps do not store honey in their nest the papery nature of their cells would make such

I - r of storage impossible . da e say some my readers will have noticed wasps sitting in the sun ou ' a wooden paling busily engaged appar ently eating something— they are really pulling off little fibres of wood which they chew up into

THE SOCIAL WA SPS 3 7

a substance fitted for the walls of their cells ;

they will also chew paper, and the experiment

of r has been tried giving them colou ed papers, which resulted in stripes of colour appearing

r in thei nests . The different Species vary some what in the architecture of their nests ; but they are built very much on the same general

of plan . The population some underground

A Cra w s ha nests is very large . The Rev . G . . y estimated the number in a large nest of Ves pa

vu a ri s on 2 0 1 904 h , which he took September , ,

at about of these he actually counted ,

a including eggs and larv e, and estimated

a the rest as h ving left the nest and escaped , so that anyhow the computation cannot hi be far wrong . T s , however, was probably

r es a a ve y large nest . The cuckoo wasp ( V p

bor a a us tri a ca V . a r e ) , formerly known as , is an associate of Ves pa ra fa its habits had been M for r. suspected a long time , but Robson set all doubts at rest by findi ng the nymphs of the

a cuckoo in the actual nest of rnf . It is a

n rare Species in the south , but far from uncommo

one rt as goes no h , and also in Ireland , where the relationship of the host and cuckoo have been care 3 8 THE SOCIAL WA SPS

P C Mr P fully studied by rof . arpenter and . ack

l a r . Ves a vu i s Beresford p g has a beetle parasite ,

i o f but this s somewhat a rarity . This creature M etcecus pa ra doxus lays its egg in the cell of the

e ventu wasp , and enters the body Of the larva , i ally entirely devouring t . The hornet also hi has a beetle associate , but t s is a great rarity . It is a large black species of the Devil’ s coach ' or C Velleius dilata tus horse ock tail tribe ( ) , but in what relation it stands to the hornet

beyond inhabiting its nest is not known . THE HUMBLE BEES

OE these beautiful creatures we have thi rteen hi kinds in t s country . Their velvety clothing and bright colours make them the favourites

of are r most people . They most indust ious and may be seen on the wing from early morning

f e r O ten till quit late on summer evenings, whe eas

not the solitary bees do , as a rule , commence

ni n or work till e ten in the morning , except in

r r very hot weather , and generally etire about fou

or five p m . There is an idea prevalent that

' do humble bees not sting , but this is fallacious .

They can sting pretty severely, but I do not thi nk they are s o ready to use their defensive

o weapon as a wasp r hive bee is . The length of the tongue in these creatures makes them of

r r r g eat value to the fa mer and ga dener , as they can fertilize the red clover and probably other flowers which require a longer tongue to reach

n hi the nectary tha is possessed by the ve bee . 39 40 THE H UMBLE BEES

New Z fir w a s In ealand , when st the red clover

w a s introduced from this country, it found

r impossible to fe tilize it , and humble bees had

out to be sent . Now they are established there

on its fertilization is carried quite successfully . The humble bees are di vided into tw o natural

r i e groups , the underg ound Species , . . those that make a subterranean nest , and the carder bees , as they have been called , which make a

o f nest on the surface the ground . The former live in much larger communities and are far more aggressive and pugnacious than the latter .

Mr They also feed their young , according to .

of L. C r F . di . W Sladen , Ripple ou t , in a fferent ' way . The carder bees form little pockets or pouches of wax at the side of a w a x - covered mass of growing larvae into which the workers drop the pellets of pollen direct fr om their hind

a r tibi e . The pollen sto ers , on the contrary, store the newly gathered pollen in waxen cells,

or old made for the purpose , in cocoons, specially

rt set apa to receive it , from which it is taken and given to the larvae mi xed with honey through

of - As the mouths the nurse bees as required . the

of author remarks , the methods the underground THE HUMBLE BEES 4 1

species more resemble those o f the hive bee

Mr than do those of the carder bees . . Sladen has made many experiments in trying t o d omes ti

s o cate humble bees , and succeeded far with

Bo r t 2 ur mbus te res ri s . 9 o (pl D , , common black and yellow banded Species with a tawny tail)

t o 1 8 99 as get it to breed in captivity, and in was able to show nests in full work at the Maid

ra stone agricultu l Show , the bees coming in and

out i r An of the build ng to thei nest . inter esting case of one Of the carder bees (B ombus

a m roru F . g ) is recorded by . Smith It invaded

’ r a w en s nest, heaping up its pollen , etc . , amongst

of r the eggs the bird , till the parent bi d was

‘

forced to desert the nest . The underground species are more subj ect to the attacks of Al cuckoos than the carder bees . together the humble bees afford an excellent subject ' b e a mena ble to for study, as they appear to

' one ul treatment , and to any who co d give time and careful attention to them many interest ing problems connected with them and not yet

m i r understood ight have l ght th own upon them . Dead humble bees are Often found in numbers in i a mut lated state, under lime trees . These 42 THE HUMBLE BEES

have been caught after they have filled them

cons e selves with honey, and become torpid in

uence q , by the great tomtit and possibly other

’ birds . The bird peek s a hole in the insect s

r tho ax, enj oys the honey it has eaten and then drops the quivering body which falls t o the

r of groun d . I once had the Oppo tunity seeing

on this slaughter going , and was able to detect

r the great tomtit as the mu derer .

In colour the humble bees vary remarkably, the variation occurring chiefly in the females . hi This variation is not so noticeable in t s country, although in many Species even here the variability

is very great , but when we trace a common

terres tri s r species such as , which va ies very

r little here , ove a large area such as the P al aearctic region its liveries are so diverse that its females have been treated as belonging to many different Species . In the Siberian ll district its ye ow bands become of a pale , almost

or whitish straw colour, and the whole appear

of n of n ance the i sect is altered . If, instead goi g n r to M o th , we go the editerranean region we

find a large , fine form tolerably common , with C bright yellow hairs on the legs . In orsica

THE BEES WITH BIFID TONGUES

I N this country we have onl y two genera in

bifid on which the tongue is at the apex , and this account they are kept together as close allies

our . in classification They are , however, very ff di erent in general appearance . One of these

Colletes on un groups is called , acco t of its habit of lining its cells with a gluey material , the

P ros o is on of other, p , account the markings on

of Colletes the face . The various kinds are densely clothed on the head and thorax with brownish

of hairs , and the segments the body have whitish

of - fittin bands composed a dense , tight g , duvet

r of hairs (pl . B , The e is in this country

one only exception , a large insect like a hive

r r bee , but rarely met with , its headqua te s L being the Wallasey Sandhills near iverpool , and All other localities in Lancashire . the Species tend to colonize ; some bui lding in huge coloni es

44 THE BEES WITH BIFID TONGUES 45

in sandy cuttings , etc . They are preyed upon by

E eolus a pretty little cuckoo bee called p (pl . B , which is black , ornamented with brownish red

O e of our and whitish spots . n best known

’ Colletes odi ens ft Species , f , can O en be found in abundance on the heads of ragwort along the

- ul sea coast in J y . The other genus P ros opi s is outwardly entirely unlike Colletes : its Species are nearly all very

- n small coal black i sects , with scarcely any notice

c lindri able hairs , rather unusually narrow and y

in cal form ; they emit a peculiar, agreeably scented flui d when handled ; in the males the face is almost always white or yellow, in the females there is generally a yellow Spot on each side near the eye . These little creatures are

of especially fond burrowing in bramble stems . They like those which have been cut off in mi trim ng the hedges , because in them the pith is exposed and they can burrow their way into it without gnawing through the wood . If any one , going along a hedge which has been trimmed ,

a or containing a lot Of br mbles , in the autumn

- winter , would examine the cut off ends they would soon find some with holes in them . These 4 6 THE BEES WITH BIFID TONGUES

of P ros o i s may be the work p , but there are other bees and fossors which also burrow in

S O this way . the stems should be brought home

P ros o i and opened . Then the p s cells may be known by the fine membranous pellicle which surrounds them , but possibly even then a little j ewel - bee cuckoo may be found in possession

of l of u . the cell , instead the rightf owner When these little bees emerge they are generally to be

on or found wild mignonette , bramble flowers

o those f the wild parsley tribe . Some are very

of common , others great rarity . The males of this genus seem to have a peculiar tendency t o develop eccentricities in the shape of the

of ae or first j oint the antenn , feelers , some having

r it expanded and concave , others ounded but thickened towards the apex ; in only one British

P cornuta Species , . , does the female Show any

r of special peculia ity form , but in this the face is produced on each side between the eyes into

- r the a distinct horn shaped p ocess . In females there is scarcely any indication of pollen brush , and for this reason they used t o be considered

of there . is as possessors cuckoo instincts, but now no doubt of their industrious habits ; but THE BEES WITH B IFID TONGUES 4 7 there is no other genus of industrious bees in

r n of Ocratiw this count y, with the exceptio , with so little Specialization for pollen collect ing . THE BEES WITH P OINTED TONGUES

ALL the genera , except the two mentioned in the last chapter, belong to this section , which comprises a variety of very different styles of

r - bees , beginning with the sho t Spear Shape tongued Species and ascending to the long tongued Species , which are considered to cul minate in the hive bee . The habits of these genera vary very greatly in some respects special notice has been or will be given of Ha li ci a s

12 S hecodes 1 1 A ndrena 1 5 (pl . B , ) and p (B , ) (B , ,

Noma da 1 8 Os mi a (B , ) and the other cuckoos ,

2 8 Antho hora 2 4 2 5 (D , ) and p (D , , ) and the leaf cutting bees , but there are several other genera which deserve a passing notice , although their habits are not s o peculiar as those of the specially

Cili s s a selected ones . , which is a very close ally of Andrena of , is peculiar in having the hairs the tongue erect and arranged almost in bottle—brush fashion . Its habits are much like those of

48 THE BEES WITH POINTED TONGUES 49

A Da s o a n ndrena . d o yp , SO called account of the enormously long hairs of the pollen brushes of

of the legs in the female , is one our most beautiful

of bees ; it is moderate Size , a little more than

half an inch long , with a brown haired thorax , and a black body with white apical bands on the segments ; the hind legs are rather unusually long and the brush is composed of very long

r bright fulvous hairs, and when the bee retu ns F mi home laden with pollen it is , as . S th says , s ufli ciently singular to attract the attention of ' the most apathetic observer . It burrows in sandy

r hi of Andrena : places much afte the fas on , etc ' a The male is different looking insect , entirely

P a na r us . 1 7 covered with yellowish hairs . g (pl B , )

v a curi ous of - is genus coal black bees , whose females have bright yellow pollen brushes on their hind legs they visit yellow composite flowers and the

‘ males Often sleep curled up amongst their rays ;

they are most active bees , and burrow generally in

hard pathways . I was watching a large colony of one of the species near Chobham in the end of

n — r Ju e they we e burrowing in a gravel path ,

under whi ch the soil was of a black sandy nature ; the path was scattered all over with little black W B . . A . E 50 THE BEES WITH POINTED TONGUES

hillocks of sand , and seemed alive with bees .

w a s It showery weather, and occasionally the hillocks were washed nearly flat and a lot of sand

— must have entered their burrows however, as soon as the sun came out again they cleaned

u out their holes and ret rned to their work . P a nurgus is most businesslike in its pollen collect ing ; it flies in a rapid headlong way into a flower , and seems to do its best to bury itself , with a remarkable amount of action as if it was in a t great hurry, and of en bustles out of it again almost immediately and goes on to the next . Its methods suggest that it does more work in

five minutes than any other bee would do in ten .

A Anthidi um . C nother genus , (pl , this time

- one Of the long tongued bees , is peculiar in having the male larger than the female . Both sexes are black, variegated with yellow markings and

Spots , but the male is more ornate in this respect than the female and also has a peculiarly shaped body , which is unusually flat, curving down wards towards the apex , which is armed with five

on teeth , two bent ones the Sixth segment and three on the seventh . The female collects pollen on the underside of its body and collects the

LEAF - CUTTING BEES

THESE are amongst the specially interesting Of the

- bees in their habits . They are dull brown coloured creatures rather like a stout hive bee in form

. C on (pl , They all collect pollen the under

of side their body . They burrow either in decayed

or wood in the ground , but they make their cells of pieces of leaves which they cut off from rose bushes or other plants ; these cells when completed

fu of P of are wonder l works art . robably some my readers may have noticed rose leaves with

out semicircular pieces cut of them , and Often with almost circular ones thi s is the work of the

FIG . 7 .

on on . 7 leaf cutter (fig ) She alights a leaf, holds to the edge of the piece s he w a nts to cut off with her ‘ 5 2 P TE LA C . ’ 2 0 . M e a c/zz le m a r z tzm a m g e a le. 1 , f 2 . Ca l w a s ca n a n/ea y , ma l e . ’ ' 2 2 . Cce l zox s c anoz a a y e em a le . 2 , f 3 N es t o Ill e a c/z z/e w z ll u /zb f g g zell a .

a ce f 5 2 .

LEA F- CUTTING B EES 53

out of her legs, and then cuts it by means j aws , or mandibles ; as soon as it is out free she uses

r her wings and so prevents herself f om falling, and goes off with the cut off piece safely held under her body by her legs . I have frequently seen bees flying home with their leafy burden , and once or twice I have seen them cutting the

ut pieces o . They cut round the piece they select with great rapidity —the marvel is that they can arrange so exactly as not to fall when the last attachment is removed . The pieces they out have to be of several Shapes in order to build up the cell they requi re ; some are more or less

ul lozenge shaped , some almost circ ar ; the

- cells they make are somewhat thimble Shaped .

The lozenge - shaped pieces are used t o build up

of l the Sides and lower end the ce l, and the

circular pieces to close it . in with at the t op ; it is all cemented together with a gluey substance

Tha b urrow excreted by the bee . s Of the leaf

a re r cutters made , as stated above , eithe in the

or r ground in rotten wood . I have neve had a sub

to mi r terranean nest exa ne , but have had seve al

nests in one of rotten wood under my notice , which i f r . C s o r is now befo e me (pl , It in a piece ve y 54 LEA F- CUTTING BEES

soft willow , almost in a touchwood condition . So that by carefully cutting away the wood I have

the o been able to expose whole series f cells . Two distinct burrows run almost parallel to each other ; both of them are slightly curved and each has contained six cells ; these are about half an inch long , and they fit one over another in the tube as closely as possible SO as to look like two long f thick green worms . Each cell is composed o

of many pieces leaf, and the final plug which closes the cell is often made of several rounds of

one of r leaf over the other . The amount labou taken by the mother bee to make these cells must be enormous . The cells are provisioned like those of any other solitary bee with pollen , etc . ,

M of and the egg is laid upon it . ost the leaf cutters have their attendant cuckoos , which are rather smaller than themselves, of a deep black with white bands on the sides of the body .

’ The female has a very pointed tail , and the male s body ends in a series of Spine - like proj ections O 2 1 (pl . , , OSMIA AND ITS HABITS

I HA VE tried as much as possible to avoid mi scientific names , but the sfortune is that there a re hardly any popular names in use which can

rt r be attached for ce ain to any pa ticular species , and unl ess this can be done it is of no use using ' C vague names like the arpenter Bee , the

M r ason Bee etc . There are many carpente

a bees and m ny mason bees, and though their habits may be alike in this one particular they differ among themselves in the way they use

t o their tools , and it is necessary know which

' one we are talking about . It is a common thing to hear people inveighing against Latin names , etc . , but they forget that there are no

r English ones in use , and what is more impo tant , that Greek and Latin names are common

r a prope ty to all nations , so th t we can all know what we are talking about , whereas if we call an insect by an English name and the Russians 5 6 O S M I A AND ITS HA BITS

fi call it by a Russian name , the dif culty of coming to a mutual understandi ng is very great . This is only an aside to j ustify the use of classical

for names . I quite feel that popular use in this country a good series of English names mi ght

ul not be usef , but we have got one, and it would require a great deal of care and thought to frame a nomenclatur e which would really be useable

ui by the persons who req re it . I have made these remarks here because Os mi a is a genus whose members vary very

of much in their habits, and some Species which , like sensible beings, adapt their habits to their

s o surroundings , that no name such as carpenter

to r . o bee , etc , would apply all the Species , , as a

Os mi a ru a rule , even to one . f especially adopts

of several methods nesting . This little bee is clothed more or less all over with yellowish hairs ; it is compact in shape like all the other

Os mi a species of , and like them collects its pollen

of on the underside the body . It may sometimes be seen flying up and down the walls of a house

n t o uil not looki g for a crevice b d in , but it is the

ul to In least partic ar as to where form its cells . one memorable case the female selected a flute

5 8 O S M I A A ND ITS HA BITS

creatures in his Catalogue of Briti s h Hymenop

tera i n the Briti s h M us eum s , mention a case

where the bee finding the larger whorls of the Shell too wide constructed two cells across the A whorl . nother very interesting case given by

Smi th is of a nest of many cells of the rare Os mi a i nermi s (whi ch in hi s days was known as Os mi a

a ri eti na . A of 1 0 6 p ) Slab stone , inches by , was brought to him with 2 30 cocoons of this Os mia attached to its under Side ; when found in the 1 849 month of November, , about a third Of them were empty ; in March of the following year a few males made their appearance and

r Sho tly afterwards a few females , and they continued to come out at intervals till the end of 35 June , at which time he had cocoons still 1 8 5 1 unopened ; in some more emerged , and he opened one or two of the closed ones and found that they still contained living larvae ; he closed A 1 8 52 them up again , and in pril , , examined them and found the larvae still alive ; at the end Of May they changed to pup ae and appeared as

ul perfect insects , the res t being that some Of the Specimens were at least three years before r eaching maturity . O S M I A A ND ITS HA BITS 59

There is a nest of yet another style adopted

by one Of our Species (Os mi a xa nthomehtw ) . This is formed of a series of pitcher- shaped cells made

of mud , constructed at the roots of grass . The species whi ch makes it is rare and seems to have

on of its headquarters the coasts Wales , although it has occurred in the Isle of Wight and else where . This species also is not constant in its habits , as it has been known to make its A cells underground . very curious habit was

Mr P a V . noticed some years go by . incent R erkins in another species of this genus (Os mi a bi color ; e pl . D , the sp cies nests in the ground or in

but i snail shells , , n the case under his Observation ,

Mr P . erkins found that the little bees covered up all the snail shells in which they had bui lt their cells with Short pieces of bents so as to make a little hillock over each about two or three inches in height, somewhat resembling a

i i Of F ormi ca ru a m n ature nest f , the large horse

conta imn ant, each mound g hundreds of pieces .

of This is the only record I know this habit , which must entail a large amount of labour for

the bee . These varying habits in the same species 60 O S M I A A ND ITS HA BITS

Show pretty clearly that these little creatures are not driven by any blind instinct in the adoption of their methods of nest buildi ng : they appear to have a distinct power of choice and di adaptation accor ng to their environment , unless

of of course it can be Shown that the offspring ,

’ s a y , a snail shell inhabitant follows its parents habits, and that that of a ground borer does the same— but even that would not explain the

F . case given by Smith , and quoted above , where an Os mi a had filled up the whorls of a shell and

tw o then , finding the final whorl too large , placed cells horizontally to fill it that seems to indicate distinct design on the part of the bee and would be

to . hard explain as due to instinct Unfortunately, with the exception of a very few, the species of Os mi a a re hi s o rare in t s country, that few opportunities are available for studying their

r habits , which are ce tainly amongst the most

us interesting Of any gen .

A COLONY OF ANTHOPHORA

Antho hora 4 one of our ili es . 2 p p p (pl D , ,

. early spring bees , often forms enormous colonies I have sometimes seen sandpits in whi ch the sides were riddled all over with holes of this species , and where the insects were in such numbers that a distinct hum was

/

audible from the vibration of their wings . In such colonies one is sure to detect some of their

M electa a rma ta . cuckoo associates , (pl D , They

of are deep black bees , much the same size as their hosts but with more pointed tails and with

a small spot of snow - white hairs on the side of each segment of the body ; like other cuckoos they sail about in a more demur e way than their

s cene than hosts , but a more lively , a large colony

of An o Antho th phora can hardly be found . The phora provisions its cells with honey and pollen and its egg in consequence floats on the top— the 6 1 62 A COLONY OF A NTHOPHORA number of cells varies from five or S ix up to ten or eleven . Anthophora pilipes has a very close relative

Antho hora retus a in p , which also forms large colonies , but it is as a rule less common . These tw o Species are exceedingly alike , in fact it requires some skill on the part of the observer to differentiate their females . They are both black and clothed with black hairs , and both

- retus a have yellow pollen brushes , but in the hairs are shorter and not quite of such a deep

of ili es of black as those p p , and the spurs the

li e a i s . tibi e are pale , whereas in p p they are black ff The males , however , di er widely, although much alike in colour; in pilipes the feet of the mi ddle pair of legs are clothed with enormously

of long hairs , the basal j oint has a dense fringe black hairs in front and some long black hairs b e

S l i ee . . 2 4 retus a b a s a o nt hind ( pl D , fig ) in the j Of the middle pair of feet have a fan—shaped fringe of of black hairs , and the rest the joints are clothed

not with longer hairs , but long enough to be

A retus a t Specially noticeable . . is visited by he

A ili es same cuckoo as . p p and also by its rare ally

M electa luctuos a f a rma ta , which only dif ers from

64 A COLONY OF A NTHOPHORA

a o a few years g . Of course there is no proof that it has been there throughout the intervening

to period , but there seems be no reason to doubt

of it, and if so it is a most interesting case a persistent colony . BEES AND POLLEN- COLLECTING

BEES whether solitary or social enter flowers for the sake of the honey in their nectaries and the pollen on their anthers . In some cases the flowers automatically deposit pollen on the bees

t o during the operation , which enables them

i fertilize other flowers of the same Spec es, but the pollen which the bee requires for its ow n use has t o b e/ WOrk ed for and collected on organs

for Specially adapted the purpose . These vary very much in the different families and genera they exist only in the females , and , if the males

get covered with pollen , as they often do , it is

probably more by chance than purpose , and it

fu of is doubt l if it is any value to the brood , although no doubt useful in fertilizing other

All our flowers . bees , as has been pointed out

r or befo e , are clothed more less with branched

or - r ul r feather like hai s, which wo d appea to be

admi rably adapted for the collecting of pollen .

B W A 65 . F 6 6 BEES A ND POLLEN- COLLECTING

At the same time some Species which have their bodies clothed with branched hairs have simple or spirally grooved hairs on the collecting organ others collect on very much branched hairs so that there seems to be no exact relationshi p between the plumosity of the hairs and their

utility in collecting . The collecting brushes

on or are either the hind legs , as in some cases ,

on the ventral surface of the body . In a female

Andrena of , the hind leg has a tuft curled hairs near

of the base the leg , and a more or less heavy

of brush on the outside the tibia or shin (fig . When a female returns after a collecting expedi tion these Specially hairy regions are a mass

of pollen grains , and the beautiful yellow

legs SO often remarked upon in some bees , are not always due t o the colour of the hairs but

h of t o t at Of the grains pollen adhering to them . The genera which collect on the under surface of the body have to visit flowers where the anthers lie in such a position that they can transfer the pollen on to it ; the pea flower tribe are favourites with them , and also the

ositce All Comp . this section have long tongues so that they are able to reach the nectaries of BEES AND POLLEN- COLLECTING 6 7

r plants with long tubular flowe s . In visiting these the pollen is Often deposited on the back of the bee this it is able to transfer to its under

on or side by means Of the brushes its feet tarsi . The arrangements of the humble bees for pollen gathering are altogether different from those

mentioned above . They have the hind shin

r outwardly shining and ather concave , with a seri es of long curved hairs running down each Side

of it and partly curving over it , SO that they carry

FIG . 8 . FIG . 9 .

O f their mass pollen in a sort Of basket , scienti ' ll 9 fica y called the corbicula (fig . ) this would m be i possible if the pollen were gathered dry ,

as it is by most Of the solitary bees , so the bee moistens it on the flower with the nectar she has

been sucking so as to make it sticky, and then transfers it into her basket by means of her foot

on brushes . The pollen therefore the hind leg of a humble bee is all in one mass and can be 68 BEES A ND POLLEN - COLLECTING

removed as such . When the bee reaches her nest this must of course save her the trouble which the solitary bee must have of cleaning off all the separate grains of pollen which are mi xed up among the hairs . A word or tw o may be convenient here on

An the combs and cleaning apparatus of bees . y one who has watched a bee clean itself will have noticed that the front legs work more or less horizontally— a bee will lower its head and bring its front leg over it with a curved motion and that it will clean the sides of the face with

- a sort of shaving like action , also that the antenn ae are apparently pulled through the

- w a foot j oint in a remarkable y , Often many times

Now in succession . the foot Of a bee consists of n five j oi ts , and is clothed with bristly looking hairs . If these hairs be examined through a microscope they will be found to be more or

- less razor Shaped , having a thick back and a

- dilated wing or knife like blade (fig . In some the blade is of some width , and the edge is evi d ently very Sharp these hairs or spines no doubt do the cleaning work, and admirably adapted

he — they are to the purpose . T antennae cleaner BEES A ND POLLEN- COLLE CTING 69

(it may possibly be used for other purposes t o o ) is a still more wonderful adaptation ; in the basal j oint of the foot there is a semicircular

incision , which , when examined under the micro

Scope , is seen to be a small toothed comb . The

foot itself fits into the tibia or shin , and at the apex of the latter is a modified spine which is

. . 1 2 . 1 . . 1 1 FIG . 0 FIG FIG

- dilated on one side into a wing , or knife like

blade ; this Shuts down on to the semicircular

a b e comb , and the insect by passing the antenn e tween the two can clean off anything which may

have stuck to it (fig . When we come to ex amine the other legs w e find that the inner surface i i h o a . e . their tibi e and tarsi , t at which is nearest the body, is clothed with hairs which have the

- points dilated and Spade like (fig . which allow 70 BEES AND POLLEN- COLLECTING ing for the di fferent action of the hi nd legs makes them just as good cleaners as the razors of the fr of ae ont pair ; the Spurs at the apex the tibi ,

hi calca ri a w ch are known as the , are also doubt less useful for cleaning purposes, and this is specially suggested by the beautiful saw - like form which they assume in some Species ; al though there is no actual semicircular comb in of the first j oint the tarsi , yet there can be li ttle doubt that the Spur and thi s j oint in conjunction can act as a cleani ng organ very much in the same way as the more elaborate

An one arrangement in the front legs . y who has the Opportuni ty of examining the hairs of bees under a microscope will be amply repaid for the trouble in noticing the beautiful shapes and structures which these organs assume . F 1 3 — 1 1 . 8 ( igs 7 Showing pollen grains adhering . ) At one time , when I was specially examining bee hairs, I shaved the various parts of a large number of species and mounted their hairs dry in microscopic Slides , merely securing the cover glass with liquid glue ; this was twenty years

ui . ago , and many are still q te good It may

difli cult seem a Operation to shave a bee , but

’ AND HOW H Y ON BEES TONGUES , T E SUC'HONEY

I N order to understand how a bee sucks honey it will be necessary to go into some rather careful details as to the construction of its tongue and

mouth organs . These I will make as Short i and s mple as I can , but the apparatus is a very

complicated one , and it will be impossible to describe it without a good deal of techn ical

phraseology . The tongue has always been considered such an important feature in a bee ’ s structure that it has been made the chief basis of their cla s s ifi cation . On this subj ect I will only say that there are three principal types of tongues— a short ifi b d . 1 9 tongue (fig , 3 resembling those of the fossors a short pointed one , shaped somewhat like

. 1 9 2 2 a a a Spear head (fig , , ) and a long par llel

- 1 9 I I a . sided, ribbon like tongue (fig . , , ) The bees are classified on what is considered to be an

1 In hi s ca s onl the a c ua l on u or li ula a nd t e , y t t g e ( g ) i a r ts p ra glos s ce a e figured . ’ A ND Ho w 73 BEES TONGUES , THEY SUCK HONEY

f - ascending scale , beginning with the bi id tongued i species , through those w th the short Spear shaped

tongues to the higher forms, which have this

- organ elongate and parallel sided . The tongue is the central organ Of an elaborate

of combination mouth parts , which I will now

FIG . 1 9 .

’ try to explain . If we turn a bee s head over and look at its underside we Shall find a deep

cavity , filled up with the base of this combina

tion which fits into it . If we extend the tongue (a humble bee is a good subj ect on account fi 2 0 of its large size , g . ) so as to draw its base

out of the cavity , we shall find that in the edge of each Side of the cavity there is articulated a Short rod more or less dilated at its apex , called ’ 4 A ND Ho w 7 BEES TONGUES , THEY SUCK HONEY the s tipes ; on the flattened ends of these rods there swings a j oint Shaped something like the

merrythought bone of a chicken , called the lora 2 0 or reins ( , B) , to the central angle of which are suspended the pieces Of the apparatus which

- termi nate in the tongue . This V Shaped j oint

on can swing over its feet , and can therefore lie either between the s tipites or rods with its angle pointing towards the tail of the bee , or in the opposite di rection with its angle proj ecting

n beyond them and pointi g forwards . It will at once be seen that by this turn of the V the tongue can be proj ected a distance equivalent to twice the length of the V .

This V - shaped j oint varies much in the length of its arms , which are much longer in the long

- tongued than in the short tongued bees . When we examine the parts that are suspended hi from t s j oint, we Shall find that the actual tongue is separated from it by tw o distinct

i e lora r pieces ; the first ( . . that next to the ) a sho t

s ubmentum 2 0 C j oint (the , , ) , the second (the mentum 2 0 - , , D) a long semi cylindrical j oint which holds as in a trough the softer parts at the base of F mentum the tongue . rom the apex of the ’ B E E s U AND Ho w 75 TONG ES , THEY SUCK HONEY proj ect three organs the central one is the

li ula 2 0 E on actual tongue (or g , , ) , and each side are the organs which are called the labi al pa lpi these in the long—tongued bees more or less fold

i of over the base the tongue and protect it . There are tw o other large and important mouth

ma xillce 2 0 G r on parts called the ( , ) these a ticulate

FIG . 2 0 .

ca rdi nes ts to the flattened apices of the , ou ide

r ul of of lora the a tic ation the feet the , and extend on each side of the mentum ; they also hi have flattened blades sheat ng, when closed , the

o mentum wh le Of the above , as well as the base of the tongue . So far we have been looking at the back of the head and mouth parts ; if we now look at the front we shall see the maxillce ; if we open these we Shall see the tongue lying between the ’ 76 A N D BEES TONGUES , HOW THEY SUCK HONEY

' labia l al i p p , and at the base of the tongue we Shall see tw o little sheaths called the pa ra glos s ce above these the softer parts lying in the trough

mentum mentum of the ; from the base of the ,

ma xillce connecting with the , there extends a membrane which entirely invests the spaces between the bases of these organs and extends A up to the mouth . membrane also extends

s ti ites lora between the p and , and closes the

cavity at the back of the head . The back of the tongue in the act of sucking can be formed

into a tube through which, partly, probably by

capillary action , partly by the pumping action caused by the dilating and contracting of cer

r of tain pa ts the mechanism, the liquid food

aes o ha us . is drawn up into the p g This , I believe , has been Shown to be the principle on which

or - all bees , short long tongued , suck up their

honey . The subj ect could be treated at much

greater length , and many other structures con

nected with the mouth parts discussed , but more minute details are unnecessary in an

elementary work such as this , and I have therefore limited mys elf to a description of the broad

principles of the process . A DREADFUL PARASITE

OF all the evils to which bee flesh is heir there can hardly be any so terrible as the effects of the parasite S tylops on the species of Andrena

Ha c us and li t which it attacks . This very extra

r n ow ordinary creatu e , which is considered to

of be a beetle , lives during the early stages both sexes in the body Of the bee , which it

/ enters when the bee is in the larval state . Its head protrudes like a minute flat seed

. 2 1 FIG . between the body segments (fig . and so is of visible externally, but the rest the creature ,

- which is a grub like larva , rests amongst the intestines of the bee ; the female matures in

’ the bee s body and never leaves it . The male ,

n however, whe mature , escapes , leaving the 77 78 A DREA DFUL PA RA SITE

great hole which he inhabited Open ; he is

provided with wings, and I have more than once caught one flying in the Open— but to f return to our a flicted bee . This may be

of attacked in either sex , and by one to five

the parasites . I have specimens myself with

Of four parasites in them , and a case five has been

Mr L P n . . . C. . o recorded R erkins , writing this

: subj ect , says On removing the integument

of dorsally from the bee , the large body the female parasite Wl ll be seen lying above the

FIG . 2 2 .

a e e Styl o p s l a rva in a b d o m in l ca vity : a ft r P re z .

viscera , often almost entirely concealing them If this is the condi tion of a bee nourishing only

one e parasit , I must leave it to my readers to imagine the state of the poor wretch w ho is supporting five 'The outward appearance Of one with several parasites is generally much distorted ; the abdomen is very much inflated , and the poor creatur e is unable to fly any dis

8 0 A DRE A DFUL PA RA SITE

if it be a male subj ect , the hairiness Of the face is diminished , the white colour is often reduced or absent , and the hairiness of the legs is increased . Before the effects of the parasite were recog niz ed , several new species were described simply on specimens of unusual appearance in cons e

u f q ence o its presence . f These effects, however , like the e fects pro duced on of the activity the bee , vary exceed ingly in extent . On some the parasite seems to have no effect, in others the alteration in i appearance is very great . Th s , again , is pro bably due to the position of the parasites and to the pressure they exert on the reproductive

of organs the body in the larval state . AMONGST THE BEES AT WOR'

NO W I feel sure many will be thinking It is all very well to talk about all these solitary

and social bees , but I never see them . I certainly know a humble bee with a white tail and another

with a red tail , and a wasp , and perhaps a hornet , ' but I never notice any others . The reason

no n ot for this , doubt , is that people are as a

rule observant , and even if they notice a creature one moment they probably forget all about it the

o next . If any ne goes out on a bright spring

n M or A mor ing , late in arch early in pril , about 1 1 ’ O clock , into a garden well stocked with

e flow rs , it will not , I think, be many minutes before an insect darts on the wing along some

border , and , if attention be paid to the flowers ,

a little black hairy bee with yellow legs, like a

small humble bee , will be seen diligently at work

i r suck ng honey from one Of them . The da ting l bee , which is of a brownish red colour , gradual y

81 B w A . . . G 8 2 A MO NGST THE BEES AT WORK

’ fading to grey after a few days exposure to the

sun , is the male , and the black one the female .

r The male rarely settles, but flies about cou ting

tw o or r the female . Often th ee males may be seen dodging and crossing each other in their

fli . i i s Antho or ght The name of th s bee ph a .

a d It is quite a harbinger of spring , n I mention it

’ on especially as it so forces itself one s attention , and there are few who will not meet with it

- on without going especially its quest . Another Opportunity of seeing several kinds of solitary bees flying together may be secur ed by standing on a sunny day in front of a sallow bush in full blossom, I mean what is commonly ' called palm . Its catkins , when the anthers

out are and covered with yellow pollen , are most

of attractive to all kinds bees , humble bees,

one hive bees , and solitary bees , and any who can manage to watch a sallow bush for some time will realize that there are many kinds of bees at

r difli cult work . Of cou se it is , without special knowledge , to recognize which are bees and which are flies amongst the many which are coming

- of and going , but the yellow pollened legs the

e ll female b es will generally betray them, as we

8 4 A MONGST THE BEES A T WORK

l Even when du l , however , it is a very interesting

w e spot, and can notice the numbers of holes bored in the bank , and their different sizes and

of Shapes ; most them are round , but some sand wasps make very irregular holes . If we look closely at some of the holes w e shall see something

t oo ui closing the aperture , and , if we are inq sitive , that something will disappear down the hole like lightning ; it is the face of the owner of the burrow waiting to come out for the first ray of m sunshine , but the owner is very ti id and it will be some minutes before she puts her face

so near danger again . In most of the sand

wasps the face is clothed with bright silvery,

Or sometimes golden , hairs , and it is a very pretty sight to see these little silvery faces peering out A of their burrows . gain , one may sometimes notice a little stream of sand emerging from

a hole ; this is from some bee who is enlarging her domain or clearing out some of the sand

which occasionally falls in . In some cases this ej ection of sand is done with a great deal of

action : the sand comes streami ng out and then

of the bee follows , quite up to the mouth the

out . passage , kicking the sand as hard as it can A MONGST THE BEES A T WORK 8 5

out The moment , however, that the sun comes the whole bank is full of life and just as in the

one case of the sallow bush , wonders where it

now has all been during the shadow . Bees will be seen flying home laden with pollen ; they will pause at the Opening of their bur row and then disappear suddenly into its depths . In a very short time they will reappear quite clean and ready for another j ourney . Their cleaning appa ratus must be wonderfully well adapted to its purpose . I have often had to remove the pollen

’ ur from a bee s leg to see what colo the hairs are, and it takes some time even to brush enough of

Off r it to asce tain this , and yet the natural clean s ing process seem to take no time in comparison .

r But to retu n to our bank, numbers of bees will be seen cour sing up and down and hardly ever settling ; these are males paying what attention they can to any females who have time to attend

of to them, and often falling foul other males

on r intent simila pursuits . If one has good luck

’ in the choice of one s bank an elegant wasp - like creature may occasionally be seen amongst the fli others ; this is one of the cuckoos . The ght

of all the cuckoo bees is peculiar ; it is much 8 6 A MONGST THE BEES AT WORK

ui q eter and slower than that of the hosts , and a cuckoo may easily be seen solemnly flying up

and down the bank , over the various holes , no doubt watching for the proper opportunity to

one . enter , and deposit its egg in it This deliber ate fli ght seems a curious habit in a creature which one would think would wish to escape

detection . If it seemed to inspire fear in the

mind of its host it would be different, but they appear to fly about together unconcerned at each

’ other s presence , and the cuckoo sails along demurely and imposes on its hosts ’ labours with

’ out any apparent resentment on the latter s part both seem to accept their relationship as a matter f A o course . nother very interesting frequenter

of s andw a s sandy banks is a pretty little stout p ,

Ox belus about a quarter of an inch long , called y . It has a very bright Silvery face which shines

most brilliantly in the sun , and the body has a

on row of white spots each side , and it brings

flies back to its nest . It is very active and

common , and may often be seen with its fly

going back to its hole . There is a rare Species o f the same genus , which is clothed all over with

r hi s silvery hai s , and t s in some place , curiously

A HE A NTS , T IR GUESTS ND THEIR LODGERS

THE number of insects of different kinds which

’ live in ants nests , either as scavengers, stray

visitors who have found a lodging for the moment, as guests carefully taken care of and appreciated

by the ants , or as lodgers, either tolerated or

hostile to their hosts and persecuted, and para

. of sites , is very great The most interesting these

’ from the ordinary Observer s point of view are

the true guests and the lodgers . The true

guests are carefully attended to by the ants ; they

A hi des include such insects as the p or plant lice , and others which the ants use as cows to secure the saccharine juices which they can

obtain from them , and also certain strange beetles which have tufts of golden hairs on

— on their body, which the ants lick account of 1 what E . Wasmann calls the etherealized oil

1

m n . J . The Gues ts o Ants a nd Termi tes b E . Wa s a n S f , y , ,

Z . . . ec d . r D i F . S En R or V ol a ns la d b . on s ho t t te y H t rpe , ( ,

xii . , A S E R GUE AND E 89 NT , TH I STS TH IR LODGERS

given O ff by them . These beetles are fairly numerous and belong to several quite distinct families ; the one whi ch perhaps is amongst the most interesting is a creatur e called Lomechus a

ha s s trumos a . This insect rather an interesting history in connexi on with our British fauna .

It used to be considered as an indigenous insect , but so many years passed without any one find

r ing it , that the Old reco ds were suspected as

r doubtful , and it was removed f om the list

of . 1 906 w British Species In , ho ever, it was rediscovered near Woking in a nest Of F ormi ca A 2 f s a n ui nea . 1 one o g (pl , , , the large red ants ,

- Mr H / by . . Donisthorpe . The life history of Lomechus a is a very curious one : it is taken great

of a care by the ants, and its larv e are even placed

ow n on . by them with their , which it feeds Its numbers are kept down apparently by the over

of zeal the ants to take care of them . The ants bring their ow n pup ae up frequently to obtain light and air and with them it brings up the Lomechus a pupae— this seems not t o suit the latter

of I na n and results in the death y of them . It is a most interesting case of how a due balance can mi be maintained, and what ght prove an enemy 90 A AND NTS , THEIR GUESTS THEIR LODGERS

kept in his proper place by kind intentions . There

in are also ants nests what Dr . Wasmann calls tolerated lodgers these are mostly creatur es which are supposed to escape the notice of the

or i ants, either by their small size by the r Slow ,

on lethargic, or the other hand very rapid move

— ments these in many cases act as scavengers ,

living on the dead bodies of insects , etc . , brought

in by the ants . The hostile lodgers are real enemies to the

in ants and devour their brood , and consequence

they are always at war with each other . These creatures generally resemble the ants consider ably in form and colour and especially in their

movements . Besides these lodgers there are numerous

parasites of the ants , such as mites , etc . , so that an ant colony is a very wonderful mi xt ure of

diverse inhabitants . The distinctions given above as to the habits of the various lodgers are not

tw o always kept up , as , in some, or more of these

habits are combined . The whole study of ants and their guests is a most fascinating one : many of the latter are great rarities and much sought ft a er by collectors . Unfortunately, the great

HOW CAN AN 'ACULEATE BE RECOGNIZED ?

THIS is not an easy question to answer . We cannot make hard and fast definitions which will determine exactly what belongs to thi s group and what to that there are always some inter mediate forms which present themselves and

our make classification unsatisfactory, but, I think, for all purposes of practical Observation in the field we may say that if we find a creature with four membranous wings, burrowing in the ground or making a nest in any way, it is an A aculeate or stinger . lso , that if we find a hairy bodied insect with four clear wings collect ing pollen or sucking nectar from a flower it is a bee . There are , of course , characters by which the stinging groups can be known almost for certain , but there is no single one which can be given to recognize them by .

92 How CAN A N A CULE ATE BE RECOGNIZ ED 9 3

of They are known by a combination many, and these are frequently small structural details which do not appeal to the field observer ; in

hi un x fact , w ch are appreciable e cept under

of fi ul magnification . One the chief di f c ties experienced by an observer who is not versed in classification is t o avoid being deceived by various fli es , which in many cases greatly resemble bees ,

r - and especially wasps o the wasp like fossors .

They may mostly be known by their flight , and , A when they settle , by their behaviour . fly is

— more sudden in its movements those wasp - like

flies , for instance , which poise themselves in the air and appear qui te stationary but dart off in a

second when approached , betray themselves at

Antho hora a o o a once by their alertness . p and S r p d poise in the air and dart somewhat after the same

fashion , but they never remain poised for long, and

not do get away from their position so rapidly .

A ui lso , a fly when it settles remains q et , whereas an aculeate if in a flower sets to work collecting

or on pollen , if basking in the sun a leaf rarely rests for many seconds without moving in some

way . On a flower, if an insect is seen quietly sitting with its head away from the centre of the 9 4 Ho w CA N A N A CULEA TE BE R E CO GN T ZE D ?

r M of flower, it is almost ce tain to be a fly . ost the little bees (Ha licti ) which visit dandelions and such like composites fly in to them with

some rapidity , attack them sideways , and move round the flower no doubt getting pollen from each fl oret in succession and with a business it like action about all, which is very different

of from the behaviour any fly . The flies which really closely resemble bees in their flight are those which lay their eggs in the burrows of

s a ndw a s s various bees and p . They are really L deceptive . ast summer on the sandhills at

Southbourne , near Bournemouth , I again and again w a s deceived by a small fly with a red belt

- across its body , thinking it was a red bodied

s andw a s p . These it really only resembles on

A or the wing . fter having been taken in once twice one felt ashamed of oneself for not recog

niz in g it . The flies also which associate with the humble bees are Often coloured very much

like them , and could easily be mistaken for small specimens of the bees were it not for their b e

on haviour and wings , which Show a dark spot

of the upper margin , not existing in the wing the bee .

9 6 MA LES A ND FEMA LES

of the body exposed to view , and the female

of only six . In the males of some those bees which collect pollen on the underside of the body, the body above terminates with the sixth segment . This is because the seventh is turned

on t o over the underside , and faces downwards , its apex pointing towards the head . Thi s arrangement of course leaves less room for the regular ventral segments , and the usual apical segments are in consequence telescoped

r up under the fou th , so that the apical opening of the body lies on its underside between the fourth

r ventral and the inve ted seventh dorsal segments . This very curious structure occurs only in those

on bees whose females collect pollen the underside ,

of and the reason it is to me quite inexplicable . The females Of a few of the fossors are destitute of wi ngs ; but in this country we have no Wingless

one F ormi males, except in the case of little ant ( coxenus ) ; thi s lives in the nest of the common large

red ant, and its male can hardly be known from the worker except by the number of j oints in

of the antennae and the absence a sting . In

is the cases where the female Wingless , the male

as a rule is much the larger of the two sexes . MALES A N D FEMA LES 9 7

There are few more puzzling questions than those whi ch arise over these eccentricities of structure they seem to have no relation to any habits of

’ r the creatu es lives so far as we can judge , neither can one suggest any useful purpose which they

of can serve . In some groups the males all the Species seem b ui lt on one regular plan— in others the males of each Species seem t o vie with the next as t o what eccentricity of structure in antennae or legs or apex of the body it can exhibit . In numbers , the males probably considerably exceed the females , and are far more frequently met with , as they seem to be

rt less pa icular as to weather , and not being intent on obtaining food for their offspring they

r fly about more casually, and ce tainly are more in evidence generally .

r The great difference in st ucture , etc . , between the males and females makes the work of pairing f l the sexes very dif icu t, especially in those genera where the males and females appear together only

for Halictus a few weeks, as is the case in and

o e one a S phcc d s . If visits locality in the Spring one may catch any number Of females

of Ha li ctus , but no males appear till the late

B W A . . . H 9 8 MA LES A ND FEMA LES

or one summer autumn , and , unless visits the

out same spot again when both sexes are , it is impossible to associate males and females . I have at the present moment in my collection several males , which , being in doubt about myself, I have communicated to continental

t o authorities , who have returned them me as possibly the male Of so and so and we shall have to remain in uncertainty about them till some one

t o happens take both sexes together, when the mystery will be solved . In time of appearance the males always pre

— in of cede the females burrows , such as those

- the leaf cutting bees , etc . , it may seem puzzling

how as to this is arranged , as one cell is placed over the other so that those lower down in the

difli cult tube cannot pass those higher up . This y is got over by the arrangement that the first eggs laid by the mother bee are female and the

t o last male , so that those at the p belong to thi s latter sex ; these emerge as s oon as the warmth of the sun is great enough t o energize them suffi ciently t o break thr ough their cell covering, when they emerge and wait for the

of r appearance thei females . The males of

THE VAGARIES OF COLOUR AND STRUCTURE IN THE SEXES

As a rule the male is rather smaller and especially slenderer than the female , but there are notable exceptions ; in on e genus of the

M rmos a fossors , y for instance the male is many times larger than the female . In this case the A male is winged and the female is Wingless . lso , if there is a difference in brightness of coloration

ul between the sexes , as a rule the male is d ler than the female — this is especially the case among the bees— but if there is any eccentricity in the form Of the limbs it is almost sure to

one not occur in the male , and I think would go far wrong in saying that when peculiar features occur in the female , the reason for them

or eccen is more less apparent , whereas for the tricities of the male there really often seems to be no assignable cause . These male eccentricities A are often exceedingly marked . very good A A . 101 THE V G RIES OF COLOUR , ETC

example of them occurs among the small key

Al l ra c hole wasps . the British species are p in tically alike in coloration . They may vary having a greater or less number of yellow bands

on the body, but otherwise their distinctions

ae rest on structure . In the females the antenn

are slightly thickened towards the apex , but

r a re othe wise they simple . The males , however,

are divided into three qui te distinct groups . In

of a the first of these , the end j oints the antenn e are

. 2 3 2 rolled up in more or less of a spiral (fig , ) in

I 2 I 2 F I ‘ G . 2 3 . F I . G 2 4.

the second , the apical j oint is turned sharply back

. 2 3 I like a hook ( , fig ) in the third , the end j oints of the antennae are simple and more or less like

those of the female . Now if we examine the legs

of the males in the first group w e shall find still

greater peculiarities in two of our species there is a long yellow Spine at the extreme base ofthe middle leg on the little j oint by which it articulates on to

. 2 4 the body (fig , and a curious pencil of hairs 1 02 THE VA GA RIES OF COLOUR

on . tw o each side of the mouth In others , the

r dl n femo a , or thighs of the mid e legs, are cut i to tw o mi ul fi deep somewhat se circ ar incisions ( g .

2 4 I - a r r r , ) most cu ious cha acte but here again

r ul the females have no cor espondi ng pec iarities . There seems to be no explanation known for these

one vagaries , and yet feels that there must be

r t o some obj ect served by them . If we tu n the bees we shall find that in many Species the face of the male is white to a greater or less extent; whereas that character is very rare in

r the female . The f ont feet are produced into a wide flattened form in some , in others the middle

a re r legs ext aordinarily developed , and provided

of A r of with tufts hairs, etc . nothe form male development lies in the form of the head . This is sometimes very much enlarged— often varying considerably in this respect in specimens

of the same species ; there is often a proj ecting tooth or Spine on the mandible or j a w at its

or r on . base , f equently the cheek just above it Then in the fossors the males of the genus Cra bro

break out into numerous eccentricities ; in some , tw o or more of the j oints of the antennae are soldered together and curved or cut out into curi

1 04 A A THE V G RIES OF COLOUR, ETC .

creased length of the antennae is another male hi characteristic . T s is carried to an extraordinary development in what is called the long horned bee this bee , which is pretty common in some

ae places , has antenn which , when directed back

— wards , are almost as long as its body the female

ui has q te an ordinary pair . Another set of male characters which are of great value ' to systematists lies in the hi dden apical segments of the underside ; although these are hidden , being telescoped up inside the segments which close the apical Opening of the body, they often assume most curious and

ul beautif forms , and are characters whereby the males of a species may be determi ned with

’ certainty when the females defy all one s endea v ours to discover their identity . THE A Y A DISTRIBUTION , R RIT , OR BUN DANCE OF VARIOUS SPECIES

THERE are few points about which we know less

a l than the causes of distribution and rarity, though there are certain tolerably well recognized laws whi ch govern the occurrence of some species

r in ce tain localities . What I mean is that

marshy spots , say salt marshes for instance , attract certa in beetles and bugs which are never found except in such places ; certain kinds of flowers attract bees which never appear

to visit any others , but these localities and kinds of fl Ow ers occur Often at great distances

— r from each other, and why given a ce tain flower you probably find a certain bee peculiar to it ; or given a certain kind of marsh you probably

r find a ce tain beetle , although the localities may be hundreds of miles apart— I think still awaits explanation . I will give an example with which I am personally well acquainted . 1 05 10 6 B A THE DISTRI UTION, R RITY

There is a rare little bee (M acropi s la bi a ta ) which at one time was looked upon as an extreme

or rarity, having only occurred three four times

hi un Mr F in t s co try . . . Enoch, comparatively

on of lately, took a fair number the flowers the greater loose—strife (Lys ima chi a vulga ri s ) along the canal at Woking now that its food - plant is known, it has occurred in several other places in

L s i rnachi a numbers , and no doubt wherever the y

M a cro i s is abundant p will probably occur , but how the li ttle creature has been di stributed hi hi over the places where t s plant occurs, w ch

di fr are often far stant om each other, seems to

t o r me be an unsolved p oblem . Then there is

another puzzling point, and that is the extreme

o NO rarity f certain insects . doubt in many

of cases this is due to ignorance their habits, as it has frequently happened that species once considered of great rarity have occur red in abundance when their habits have been di s

in of M a cro i s covered , as the case p , but there are some cases which do n ot seem to be explainable

in this way . I will again give an example which has been specially under my ow n ob s er D . u ourea cu a ri s Yation f h , a little black bee ,

108 A R THE DISTRIBUTI ON , R ITY

n Mr in the flight of an i sect directly . The late .

F in our . Smith, his day leading authority, F M the Rev . . D . orice , than whom no one

has probably worked 'the neighbourhood more

Mr . Mr . thoroughly , T . R . Billups , . E . B

Mr A Nevinson , and the late . . Beaumont, have

all been over the ground again and again , and yet only these two Dufourea s and these taken mi H four les apart . ere again is a problem which is very perplexing 'What part in nature does this little rarity play ? No doubt like every it thing else has its duties, and its corner to

fill, but beyond that one can suggest nothing . Other bees are often exceedingly abundant

in one season and very rare the next , or they will entirely desert a locality where they have

— been abundant , and move somewhere else the occasional scarceness is due probably to continued t wet weather, which Of en appears to kill the i larvae . Cold w nters seem to have no injurious f e fect , although at one time they were thought to determine the scarcity or otherwise of the bees of the following summer . It has , I think, been clearly shown that larvae can stand almost any

m of a ount cold, although they succumb to OR A BUNDANCE OF VA RIOUS SPECIES 1 09

f of the e fects mildew produced by wet , but there is often no apparent reason why a well established mi colony should grate to quite new pastures . Sometimes the proximity of new bui ldings or the digging up of ground may disturb them but I know of colonies that have gone from where

few I knew them a comparatively years ago , and where I can detect no change likely to have affected them . On the other hand there are

’ colonies which one has known all one s life and which still go on as strongly or more strongly

— Antho hora than ever the case quoted under p , 6 3 p . , shows what persistence there can be in some . ON BEES ’ WINGS

THE Bees and the other stinging groups have four

H meno tera wings like all the y p . These wings

are almost always clear and transparent, at

any rate amongst the British Species , there being only one exception which I can call to mind in the female of the cuckoo of our large

- - red tailed humble bee , which has the wings

blackish ; also they are never spotted , as in some

hi or ni flies . The nd lower wings u te with the upper by a series of very beautiful hooks whi ch extend along their upper margin and fix on

r to the posterio edge Of the front wing , which is folded back on itself so as to receive them ; in

tw o n flight the wings are u ited , but when at rest they separate ; these hooks are beautiful obj ects under a microscope their numbers vary ; and in some cases this variation is useful in di stin

is hin n gu g closely allied Species from o e another .

of t o The hum a bee is caused , a great extent, by

1 10

1 1 2 ON BEES ’ WINGS

folded longitudinally . The shape of the wings varies very little , but the arrangement and

of number their cells vary considerably . There are some very interesting genera in which the neuration of some of the cells is SO slightly indi ca ted that they are hardly visible , and can be seen only when the wing is held in certain lights these faintly indicated cells are nearly always those towards the apex of the wing , the neuration of the basal part of the wing being as strong as in the other genera . There are a few moths in this country which very much

ur of resemble , both in the colo their bodies and their clear wings , the wasp tribe , but they may be known by the brown band of scales at the apex of the wings and also by the absence Of the narrow waist, which exists in all the stinging tribes . The only Wingless forms whi ch we know are t o be found amongst the ants and the fossors , and as a rule are females , but in a few cases in the m ants , and in so e foreign species of the genus

M utilla . , the male is apterous also L T ETC E ACU EA ES . ON BR EDING ,

ANY one w ho wishes to study the life - histories of these insects , and has leisure to do so , can easily obtain various larvae by digging for them in suitable places . If, for instance , during the summer, bees , etc . , have been noticed entering

r or ae holes in a ce tain bank sandy spot , their larv or nymphs can be got in the autumn by digging down for about a foot in the direction of the holes , and if they be brought home and put into glass - top boxes they will generally emerge at their right time without giving any further trouble ; it must , however , be remembered that

‘ thee rub s g are very soft and tender skinned , and it is better to avoid handling them if possible ; they should be moved with a small soft camel hair pencil , and it is well to put something soft at the bottom of the box so that if they fall in they will not be damaged? If the wood - boring

W A 1 1 3 B . . . 1 14 A CULE A TE S ON BREEDING , ETC .

Species are being collected , care must of course be taken in splitting the wood ; most of these

e mak a pupa case over themselves , and are in

to A that respect easier deal with . label should

to r a be put in each box Show where the la v e, etc . ,

An old of were found . rotten stump a tree

of will often produce a good number species .

Then there are the bramble - stem borers ; these

can be left in the stems . I have generally found

to it convenient , after arriving home , Split the

to stems down , see if there are any living

creatures in them , and , if there are , to close

them up again , and , tie a little very fine net or gauze bag over the top of each stem ; in this way one can find out exactly what insects

come from what stem , and determine the

As cuckoos (if any) which belong to each . the

Ma season advances towards y , it is well to give

a of all the larv e , etc . , an occasional glimpse the sun ; they should not be left in the sun long enough for them to get dried up too much , but the sun is a very important factor in tempting

a them to emerge ; naked larv e and nymphs , in

- ul ul glass top boxes , sho d be treated very caref ly

r in this espect , as they are deprived of their

1 1 6 A CULE ATE S . ON BREEDING , ETC

air and sunshine , may die without cleaning themselves properly .

t o If it is desired preserve the specimens , they should be killed either with cyanide of potassium , f or r . o ether , chlo oform If the first these agents

of of is used , a piece about the size a small hazel nut should be put at the bottom of a bottle C (for collecting purposes , an ordinary oleoptera bottle which can be Obtained from any natural

’ is t s ul shop , is the most convenient) and sho d be kept down by a wad of blotting paper , well pressed down upon it ; this prevents the cyanide ,

li ifi of u es r . as it q , f om wetting the hairs , etc , the insects . Over this a piece of white paper Should be placed ; this will get stained at once when there is much damp , and should then be changed . The obj ections to cyanide are its f very poisonous nature , and the sti fness which is caused by its use t o the specimens killed by it , and also its tendency to turn yellow colours red . I always use it myself as I think it is

notw ith preferable to the other insecticides, standing its demerits , but then I do not extend the legs and wings of my specimens , but Simply leave them in whatever position they happen t o E 1 A CUL ATE S . 1 7 ON BREEDING , ETC

r die . Ether is a very favou ite method of killing

with many ; a few drops in a bottle with some paper in it is suffi cient to last for some hours ; it

however soon evaporates in hot weather, and it is necessary to carry a small phial of it in

’ one s pocket to replenish the supply when ex

ha ust e one d ; this makes smell of etherperpetually,

which is more than I can stand . But the insects

killed in this way are beautifully supple , and , for those who wish to set their captures as they

Le ido tera would p p , it is an excellent medium ,

’ i e i . . if they don t m nd its smell it has also the

benefit of not affecting colour . Chloroform

acts much as ether does . When killed , I strongly

, recommend collectors to pin their specimens through the thorax with a very fine pin (those

- used for micro lepidoptera are the best) , and

of then to pin this through a narrow strip card , mounted on a long stout pin ; in this way the se in ct can be moved about by the strong pin , and

not the thorax of the insect itself is destroyed , as it often is in the case of the smaller species

r by the use of thicker pins . The ca ds should be cut as small as possible they need not be

of an more than a quarter inch long . The insect 1 1 8 A CULE ATE S ON BREEDING , ETC .

' shoul d be pinned at right angles to the long

of axis the card, and the long pin should be inserted on the right - hand Side of the insect so as not quite to touch it . In this way the insects look quite as neat as if they were pinned L ffi direct . ocality labels , etc . , should be a xed to the long pin , and the insects should be stored in

or cabinets boxes .

1 2 0 ON COLOUR

bronzy head and thorax, and in three the bronzy colour extends to the abdomen ; there is also another with a very dull green tinge on the thorax besides these there is a little bright blue ' Oera ti na r bee, (unfo tunately a great rarity in

tw o Os mi a this country) and or three Species of ,

b ronz ines s showing more or less tendency to , and

ui one which is distinctly bl sh ; but, considering

our 400 indigenous species number nearly , this

is a very small , and compared with other coun

an ro tries I should think abnormally small, p

r po tion . Species with bodies banded like a wasp ’ s are much more abundant— no less than eighty of

ur of o native kinds having this style coloration .

The bands may be reduced to lateral Spots, but

such cases, I think, are only modifications of the

banded scheme . Black Species with a more or less pronounced

red band across the body number about seventy, and a general testaceous or yellowish colour

n ot occurs in a few ants , but elsewhere among

a cul eat es the British . Nearly all the rest are black or dark brown so far as the actual sur face of the body is concerned ; but amongst the bees ON COLOUR 12 1 there is Often a dense clothing Of coloured hairs sometimes so dense that the surface Of the body may be rendered invisible . These coloured hairs may be distributed into brilliant bands , as in the

or humble bees , they may be uniformly black, as in some Of their varieties and in the females A t of of n ho hora . the spring Species p (pl D ,

An or drena ulca . entirely red as in f (pl B , or black on the thorax and red on the abdomen

Os mi a bicolor . a as in (pl D , or Vice vers as in A ndrena thoraci ca . con , etc , but the most usual dition is that where the hairs form more or less

of pale bands along the j oints the segments,

either immediately above or below them or both ; sometimes these bands are very obscur ely indi

cat ed i i r At , and v s ble only in ce tain positions . others they are vividly white t o a certain extent thi s banded condition recalls the waspy colora

. of a r tion The hairs , however, the bands e rarely

r or hi or of yellow, but as a rule g eyish w te, a

of r of grade colou slightly paler than those the disc . There are some rather interesting points which

of A arise out this rough analysis . mong the bees , all the species whi ch have a waspy coloration

‘ a re one ex ce tion A t cuckoos, with only p ( n hi di um) 1 2 2 ON COLOUR

. 2 7 (pl D , as are also nearly all those which have

of red bands . With the exception Of the males

of Hali ctus r three species , and both sexes of th ee

of Andrew - or four Species , all the red banded

S hecodes . forms belong to the genus p (pl B ,

which is a cuckoo genus . The red coloration occurs chiefly on nearly naked surfaces ; this is Specially noticeable in those bees which have

Andrena ros ce one two varieties, such as , dull

coloured and the other red - banded : in these cases

ul r the d l form is hai y and the red nearly naked . The greatest proportionate number of banded

Species occurs amongst the fossors , and these are

seldom clothed with hairs to any extent . These bands seem to me probably to depend a good

on deal retarded development . Dark and

hairy bands, both as a rule, follow the j oints

of the segments, as stated above . I only

say as a rule , as there are many where

i n the band ng does not follow this pri ciple ,

but in far the larger maj ority the bands,

As of or . whether dark colour hairs , are apical the segments overlap at the j oints it is evident that their di scs woul d tend to mature more

r apidly than the overlapping bases and apices,

THE DEVELOPMENT OF INSECTS FROM THE EGG

ALTHOUGH this and the following chapter may

not be interesting to all my readers , I think it is only right to add some remarks on the structure

of one w ho and classification insects , so that any wishes t o follow up the subj ect may gather a few general ideas which may induce them t o take up some technical and scientific work in which they will get fuller and more exact data on the difficulties which are involved in such simple questions as What is an insect How are the different orders of insects di stinguished

‘ from each other 2 What is a species etc . To realize the characters of an insect in its

or for the perfect imago state , we may moment forget what often seems t o be its most

r r hi fr impo tant featu es , and w ch are equently

r viz . or n its most extensive pa ts, its limbs appe THE DEVELOPMENT OF INSECTS 1 2 5

dages by limbs are meant its wings , legs , horns

or a or . : antenn e , j aws mandibles , etc strip these all off , and we have a limbless trunk , which many would n ot recognize as belonging t o an insect at all ; still this limbless trunk possesses char a ct ers r which asse t its insect nature , as it may be known from other limbless trunks by being divided into three parts by tw o great transverse divisions ; in most insects these are extremely well marked , and in all they have a very

r real existence . The pa ts thus divided Off are known by the names of head , thorax , and A abdomen . nybody knows how easy it is to

off or of break the head body a dried insect . Now the head Or body breaks Off at one of these

hi r of divisions, and it is t s pa titioning the body into three sections which makes one Of the strongest characters in the definition of an insect .

O ff The three parts , thus divided , each possesses

e sp cial functions in the life of the creature . In the head are contained the principal organs of sense and brain ; in the thorax , the organs Of

of locomotion ; and in the body those digestion , reproduction , etc . This divisi on Into three parts does not however 1 2 6 THE DEVELOPMENT OF INSECTS

’ always hold good in the early stages of the insect s

r life , and we must remember that the creatu e

on not commences life leaving the egg , and merely

on s o its emergence from the chrysalis , that we

t o r have eckon with caterpillars , grubs and all sorts of curious immature forms in our concep

of tions an insect . These early stages do n ot as a rul e interest the public much , but it is well to bear in mind that the perfect insect stage is reached by some insects along apparently a very different road from that travelled by others . Some leave the

or egg as caterpillars grubs , and after various changes Of Skin become apparently lifeless chrysalids , from which they emerge as perfect insects . Others leave the egg as diminutive

or likenesses of their parents , and run hop about

d o much as they , attaining the perfect insect

of of stage simply by a series changes skin , without any definite quiescent or chrysalis condition .

one The observation , therefore , which often hears that insects never grow , has to be taken

r with caution all insects grow in thei early stages , but it is an Obvious truth that insects do not

1 2 8 THE DEVELOPMENT OF INSECTS

be recognizable , but they are hardly ever absent

for altogether ; instance , the two fore wings of a beetle are modified into what are called wing

tw o cases , and fold over its back , protecting the

or hind wings, which are more less membranous , as are those Of a bee . They have not the functions of locomotive organs , and are used in flight as A poisers . gain in the case of a fly, the hind wings seem to be absent , but they are con s id ered to be represented by two little pro j ecting organs which look like large heade d

or pins nails , but which are quite useless for locomotive purposes . The organs of the mouth are especially liable

on to modification , and these the older authors

theIr used to frame classification . Insects were di vided by them , primarily, into two great divisions , Viz . those which had a biting and those which had a sucking mouth ; treated in this way, the following orders fall into the division with biting mouths

Coleo tera or H meno tera or p , beetles y p , bees ,

Ortho tera Neuro tera wasps , ants , etc . ; p and p , which include the grasshoppers , earwigs , cock

r Ma roaches , d agonflies , y flies , etc . FROM THE EGG 1 2 9

And into the di vision with sucking mouths

Le ido tera Di p p , or butterflies and moths ; p

Hemi tera or era or fli . , t es, gnats , etc ; p , bugs

- di . inclu ng the plant lice , etc

not These divisions , however, have been found t o be very satisfactory, although very simple when dealing only with the perfect insect stage . In

r r on the fi st place , being f amed this stage only , they are not always applicable t o the earlier

’ — for phases of the insect s life instance , although

or r a butterfly moth has a sucking proboscis , thei caterpillars have strong biting j aws , as any

A . gardener well knows . lso bees , wasps , etc ,

not rather upset the arrangement , as they have only a suck ing mouth but also strong biting j aws . This system of classification has therefore been discarded by most entomologists in favour of that based on the difference between those insects which pass through the distinctive stages

of caterpillar and chrysalis on the one hand , and those which emerge from the egg as dimi

nutive likenesses of their parents on the other . In

Coleo tera H meno tera this arrangement, the p , y p ,

Le ido tera Di tera Neuro tera p p , p and p , fall into the B W A ' . . . 1 30 THE DEVELOPMENT OF INSECTS

Heteromor hae first division , or p as they are called ; and the Hemiptera and Orthoptera into the

mo h r second or Homo rp oe. The d agonflies are the only slightly discordant elements in this arrange

a ment , as , although their larv e have six legs and walk about under the water and never assume

hr an actual c ysalis condition , still they can hardly be said to resemble their gorgeously coloured parents which fly about so maj estically i our . one over ponds , etc still th s is only of the many cases which Show that nature cannot be held down by any of the arbitrary rules we make for her classification . The HymenOptera are therefore characterized and distinguished from other insects by having

s ur both a biting and ucking mouth , fo clear wings , and by passing through the distinctive liveries of caterpillar or grub , and chrysalis or nymph . It is with this order only with which we have been

ui dealing . To disting sh the acul eate section from the many other forms of the Hymenoptera

t oo is complex a task to undertake here , but the presence of a narrow waist between the thorax and the body , the number of j oints in the antennae never exceeding thirteen in

ON STRUCTURE

ALTHOUGH in the foregoing chapter a little has

on been said this subject, there is a great deal more that a student s houl d learn about the

Of ur general form these creat es . They begin life as whi te or nearly colourless hi grubs , w ch, after various changes Of skin ,

n or assume what is called the ymph pupa stage ,

during which a change occurs , believed to be peculiar to the Hymenoptera the fifth segment of the larval body is transferred to the mass

r of which is called the thorax , so that a po tion hat looks like thorax is really the first segment C hi of the abdomen . ontinental writers call t s portion sometimes the first abdominal segment

and sometimes the median segment , but New

it fin man gave a de ite name , the propodeum and the most convenient method seems to be

to call it so , and treat it as a part of the thorax , callin g the fir st or basal segment of the abdomen 1 8 2 ON STRUCTURE 1 33 that which immediately follows the regional m constriction , which occurs between the p

a ead . 4 s o ne e H Po teri r rvur . a 1 Antennae . 5 B as a l nerwure . 2 a 0 . 0 6 111 6 Cubital nervure . a 3 Compound eyes . 1 0 1 s t Recurrent nervure . b1 o h 1 z d e . Pr t orax . 1 u Recurrent n rvure b2 h Scutum of Mes ot ora x . f. n d w . b3 u f Hi i g Sc tellum o Mes othorax . n 4 - b os u ll um o a 7 e o e u e . Sc e f et horax . Ant ri r n rv r 5 P t t M t 8 ed a e e . b Prop od eum . M i n n rvur 1 2 c 0 etc . e me s of d ome . 9 os e o e ure . , , S g nt Ab n P t ri r n rv

e s Cells . L g . l d A a a l . Coxa . M rgin 2 d o h n B U as al . Tr c a ter . pp er b 3 d em C Lo . F ur . wer basa l 4 d D l s t . Tibia . Subma rginal 5 d E 2 nd u . Ta rs i . S bmargina l 6 d Calca a or u . F 3rd u ma nal ri Sp rs S b rgi . 7 d Un ui cuh or la w s G l st s o d al . g c . Di c i dB Pul vrll 2 n l u . H d s o d a s Di c i .

I 3rd s o da l . 'Front Wing . Di c i J 1 s t Apical . 1 Cos al ervure . ' t n zud p cal . 2 os Cos a'ne ure A i P t t rv . e 3 Medi a n n rvur e . 1 34 ON STRUCTURE

o eu p d m and the abdomen . The perfect insect when it emerges has therefore a head , a thorax of

of four segments , and an abdomen seven Visible dorsal segments in the male , and of six in the female . The a has six ventral segments exposed ,

i re and often the apex of the eighth , which is quently elongate , the seventh being almost always short and hidden the eighth dorsal seg ment can be discovered hidden under the seventh ;

a but it is very rarely exposed . The head ( ) bears

of a a l numerous appendages ; a pair antenn e ( ) , f usually of thirteen j oints in the male and O

3 twelve in the female ; two compound eyes ( a ) ’ ‘ compos ed of many facets ; thr ee simple eyes (or

‘ ocelli) (a which are situated on its vertex ;

ma ndibles tw o maxillce al i on two ; , bearing p p

of each side , a varying number of j oints ; and

labi um a , or tongue , which also bears at its

- base two four j ointed palpi ( of. fig .

of The thorax, as we are considering it , consists

— rothora ac bl four segments the p ( ) , which bears the

mes othora x b2 two front legs ; the ( ) , which bears the intermediate pair Of legs and the anterior pair

of meta thora cc b3 wings ; and the ( ) , which bears

s of the po terior pair wings and the hind legs . The

3 6 ON STRUCTURE

The wing neuration is always rather trouble di ff some, as various authors use erent names for

r the veins and cells . To begin with the ante ior

e there r hi r wing ( ) , are fou nerves w ch start f omthe

of base and run horizontally ; the first these ,

n of which forms the a terior margin the wing , is called the cos ta l nervure immediately below t l his , and running almost paralle to it with scarcely

os t- cos ta l ner any space between them , is the p vure s ti ma s in these end in the g ( ) , a dark cra s s ation towards the apex of the wing ; from

r the stigma a nerve, curving first downwa ds and then up to the anterior margin of the wing, encloses

s - os l the ma rgi nal cell (A ) . Below the po t c ta ner

a vure , and situ ted about the centre of the wing , is the third longitudinal nervur e called the medi a n nervure (3 ) behind this again runs the pos teri or nervure and behind that the actual margin of the wing which is not provided with a protecting

r nervu e , but is only folded back so as to receive

of A the hooks the posterior wing . cross the wing

of at, roughly, about a third its length from the body runs the ba s a l nervure this extends in

a somewhat zigzag line from the pos t- cos tal to

os teri or nervure medi a n the p crossing the , and ON STRUCTURE 1 37

u er ba s al cell B thereby enclosing two cells , the pp ( ) and the lower ba s al cell From the centre of the apical nerve Of each of these cells extends a longitudinal nervure ; the upper of these runs out nearly to the apical margin of the wing and is called the cubital nervure (6 ) this is united t o the

mar i nal cell one r nervure of the g by , two , or th ee

r r one or cross nervu es , enclosing the eby , two , three D E F cells called the first ( ) , second ( ) , and third ( )

ma r i nal cells r s ub g . The nervure f om the lower

r one basal cell is a sho t , as it is met by a cross nervur e called the fir st recurrent nervure which

cubi ta l os teri or thereb runs from the to the p , y enclos

G H di s coidal . ing two cells, the first ( ) and second ( ) The s econd recurrent ( 1 1 ) leaves the cubi tal nearer

of fir the apex the wing than the st , meeting a

u hi nerv re w ch , springing from the outer posterior

r angle of the second discoidal , closes the thi d I discoidal ( ) , and , curving slightly upwards ,

nearly reaches the apical margin of the wing .

n urr hi hi Beyond the seco d rec ent , and be nd t s

r last nervu e which we have been talking about ,

tw o are spaces not actually enclosed , but called

l s the firs t (J ) a nd s econd (') a pi ca cell .

‘ The posterior wings have very few cells. 1 38 ON STRUCTURE

Like the anterior pair they have three longitudinal nervures the a nteri or which runs close and

parallel to the anterior nerveless margin , and often touches it at about half the length of the wing ; the medi a n ( 8 ) and pos terior (9 ) run in diverging lines from the base towards the exterior margin

of the wing , the anterior and median nervures being almost always j oined by a cross nervure , and the median usually united to the posterior by a cross or curved nervure . The actual base of the anterior wing is covered by a little convex

- la te u T . somewhat shell like cap , called the g ( ) The abdomen is composed of a series of segments in

0 1 C2 linear arrangement ( , These call for no

Special remark , beyond what has been said in the

w ho chapter on males and females , but those wish to investigate the very interesting questions con nected with the terminal segments of these creatures should consult some more technical

1 work . The arrangements of the mouth parts and of the apical segments of the Hymenoptera afford perhaps the most important structural

1 Tr ns a cti ons o the Entomolo i ca l S oci et o London cf . a f g y f ,

A l of the B i is h 2 1 e . : no e a cu a 1 884 . 5 et s m , p q Hy e pt r e te r t

I l nds e c . s a , t

INDEX

A B D OM N 12 5 a di n s 75 E , C r e , A a u um 1 35 a e e b ee 55 cet b l , C rp nt r , Amm o h a 2 2 a e a 1 9 2 0 p il , C t rpill r , , Andr a 9 1 2 15 48 77 79 e s 10 1 2 2 8 2 9 40 en , , , , , , C ll , , , , , , 1 2 2 1 39 he a o a 2 8 , x g n l , u a 12 1 ch - Sh a ed 5 8 f lv , pit er p , ros ae 138 a e 2 9 40 , w x n , , ho ac a 12 1 Cera tina 4 1 2 8 t r ic , , 7 ,

A nn ae 101 103 1 34 h mn e s 2 5 nte , , , C i y , An h d um 50 1 2 1 h o o o m 1 1 8 t i i , , C l r f r , An ho h a 6 hr s s 2 7 t p il , C y i , A h o h o a 48 6 1 8 2 93 109 i s s a 48 nt p r , , , , , , C li , 1 1 1 12 1 a n h a s 68 , Cle ni g ir , ili es 6 1 o e z a o 39 p p , Cl ver f rtili ti n , e us a 62 o oaches 1 2 8 r t , C ckr , An s 2 8 3 1 8 8 o oo s 33 58 t , , , C c n , , A h d es 88 o e o a 12 8 1 2 9 p i , C l pter , , A s 1 6 o es 44 pi , C llet , As ta tus 103 o o es 5 63 , C l ni , , o ou 1 00 C l r , N D D od es 12 0 o ou s h em es 2 2 BA E b i , C l r c ee es 2 0 om s 2 3 68 69 B tl , C b , , , 3 32 o u a 67 Biting , , C rbic l , a ec s 1 2 0 o ae 1 35 Bl ck Sp ie , C x , B o us 1 6 a o 95 102 mb , Cr br , , te s s 41 42 albila b ri s 1 1 9 rre tri , , , a n 12 5 u oos 3 1 4 30 Br i , C ck , , , a m e em s 12 fl h of 8 5 Br bl St , ig t , e di 1 13 a d 1 16 Br e ng , Cy ni e, ood s 1 3 Br , u o s 9 DA S YP ODA 48 B rr w , , o m 1 2 4 Devel p ent, C 70 135 s o 1 2 5 CAL ARIA, , Dige ti n , a d e es 40 ‘ s 6 7 C r r Be , Digger , , 142 INDE X

e a 1 2 9 o e o s 2 9 Dipt r , H n y p t , s u o 105 o e s 35 Di trib ti n , H rn t , o m es a o 4 1 um e ees 3 9 D tic ti n , H bl b , o e fl es 3 m u a ed 4 1 Dr n i , til t , Dufourea 106 m e o e a 12 8 1 2 9 , Hy n pt r , ,

WI S 1 2 8 CHN UM O NS 2 1 EAR G , I E , s h a m es 55 u e s 3 Engli n Inq ilin , E eolus 45 p ,

he 1 1 7 J W fl es 2 1 2 7 Et r , E EL i , , es 1 34 Ey , YH O a s s 10 1 KE LE w p , M S 9 5 o e s 1 2 6 FE ALE , Killing b ttl ,

F e m u 1 35 e - e ha s 6 8 r , Knif lik ir , o 36 Figw rt , u e of s e 133 B S 1 1 8 Fig r in ct , LA EL , es 3 1 2 9 a a a 5 Fli , , L bi l p lpi , o e o e s 6 a um 1 2 7 1 34 Fl w r l v r , L bi , , u e 57 a a 1 1 1 3 Fl t , L rv , , o o d 6 2 8 a s us e 9 1 F , , L i nig r , oo 1 35 fl a vus 9 1 F t, , o m a 34 5 9 a a m e s 5 5 F r ic , , L tin n , us a 1 1 9 a b ee 9 f c , L wn ,

s a u ne a 8 9 e a - u ees 5 2 ng i , L f c tting b F ormicox enus 9 6 e d o e a 12 9 , L pi pt r , os s o s 6 7 u a 75 1 34 F r , , Lig l , , m s 1 2 5 12 7 Li b , , S 2 8 o omo o 1 2 5 GALLERIE , L c ti n , a s s h o e s 1 9 1 2 8 od e s h a s 8 9 Gr pp r , , L g r wit nt o h 1 2 6 Lom echu s a 8 9 Gr wt , , u es s of A s 8 9 o - ho e d b e e 104 G t nt , L ng rn , o a 74 L r , S 65 7 1 s m a h a 106 HAIR , , Ly i c i , 1 Ha lic tus , 13 , 5 , 1 7

1 1 1 2 2 R I S 1 6 9 , M AC OP , 0

e a d 1 2 5 a es 95 H , M l , em e a 12 9 1 30 a e a s 2 H ipt r , , M l w p , e e o a 2 8 3 1 ho ne 2 H t r gyn , , r t , e e om o h ae 1 30 a d e s 12 7 12 9 H t r rp , M n ibl , , e b ee 2 1 6 a s o b e e 55 Hiv , , M n , Ho m s 2 1 a ae 75 1 2 7 134 ing in tinct , M xill , , , Ho m o m or h ae 1 30 M a fl i es 1 2 8 p , y ,

144 I N DE x

a s 12 I S of s u u 1 04 Str w , VAGAR E tr ct re, u u 132 V ell eius d ila ta tus 38 Str ct re, , o s 77 s a s s s 36 Styl p , Ve p ylve tri , u m n um 74 S b e t , a m n 2 9 S 12 Sw r i g, WALL , a s s s oc a 35 W p , i l , S 135 s o a 2 4 TAR I, lit ry, e u a 1 33 138 a s o o a o 1 2 0 1 2 1 T g l , , W py c l r ti n , , hi h 1 35 in s 1 10 T g , W g , ho a 12 5 1 2 9 ells 1 12 1 33 T r x , , c , , a 135 o d ed 2 4 2 8 Tibi , f l , , om 42 h oo s 1 10 T tit, k , o ues 1 5 39 44 49 e u e s 1 33 T ng , , , , , n rv r , o h a e 135 o e s 4 Tr c nt r , W rk r , ’ u u a e a e 2 5 e s es s 41 T b l r ntr nc , Wr n n t ,

UNGUI CULI 135 OW—C O O U D s ec es 1 2 0 , YELL L RE p i ,