HEXAPODA : HYMENOPTERA OR BEES, ETC. 



303 



solitary. The Carpenter-bees 

 (Xylocopa) are of large size, 

 and they form a tube or burrow 

 in wood, and deposit therein 

 their eggs, arranging them in 

 successive layers in masses of 

 pollen (Fig. 384). And the 

 Leaf-cutters (Megachile) are 

 bees which cut pieces from 

 leaves and with them make a 

 honey-tight cell. The Mason 

 Bees (Osmia) are bluish, or 

 green, smooth and shiny, and 

 they build their nests of sand 

 in stems of plants, and in 

 crevices. 



FIG. 383. 



Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa. 



FIG. 384. 



Nest of the Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa, ; 

 and the Bee in the larva state. 



The Wasps or Vespidse also live in communities com- 

 posed of females, males, and workers. They construct 

 complex nests underground, or attached to overhanging 

 rocks, to trees, fences, or buildings. These nests consist 

 of tiers of hexagonal cells with their mouths downward, 



