vn] THE SOCIAL-BEES 95 



than is possessed by any other bees, and to reach the 

 nectary at the bottom of flower- tubes too deep for 

 the shorter tongued bees. A notorious instance of the 

 agricultural importance of humble-bees was afforded 

 when first the red clover was introduced into New 

 Zealand : there being no indigenous bees capable of 

 pollinating the blossoms, it was found impossible to 

 raise any seed. But now that the humble-bees im- 

 ported from this country have become naturalised in 

 New Zealand, the seeds are "set' with complete 

 success. It may not be out of place here to remark 

 that since field-mice are most persistent and destruc- 

 tive enemies of humble-bees, it is most unwise of 

 farmers to attempt to exterminate such creatures as 

 weasels, owls and the smaller hawks which feed 

 largely upon these little rodents, who are also de- 

 structive to crops in other ways. 



The structure, life-history and habits of the honey- 

 bee, Apis mellifica, which stands at the head of the 

 anthophilous Hymenoptera, has been so fully dealt 

 with by many authors that we do not propose here 

 to give more than a very brief outline of this most 

 important species. 



A flourishing hive of honey-bees will contain, in 

 summer time, a fertile female (the "queen" bee), an 

 enormous host of sterile females (the "workers"), and 

 a number of males (" drones "). The material of which 

 the nest, i.e. the combs, are composed is wax which is 



