vi] LONG-POINTED-TONGUED BEES 87 



is in the earth at the enlarged end of a burrow about 

 six inches long. Saropoda is nearly allied to An- 

 thophora not only in structure but also in general 

 appearance and in its swift dashing flight, but is 

 remarkable on account of the lovely blue-green 

 colour of its eyes, and the peculiarly shrill note of 

 its "hum"; this last is so characteristic that it is 

 quite easy to recognise the presence of the bee 

 without seeing it. The bee appears in July and 

 August, and burrows in the ground, large numbers 

 often associating together to form a colony. 



CHAPTER VII 



THE SOCIAL-BEES 



THE humble-bees, of which there are more than a 

 dozen British species, are perhaps the most generally 

 familiar of all the Hymenoptera ; and probably most 

 people have noticed that there are several different 

 types of colouring and different sizes of body among 

 them. Speaking broadly, the largest individuals are 

 perfectly fertile females ("queens"), the smallest are 

 sterile females (" workers"), while those of inter- 

 mediate size may be either males ("drones") or females 

 whose fertility is but partial. None of the smaller 

 females exhibit any structural distinction from the 

 " queens " ; it is only in size that they differ : and in 



