132 



ELEMENTARY STUDIES IN INSECT LIFE 



fertilize the ovules, thus keeping the breed strong and 

 healthy. (See pages 95, 96.) 



Fruit-growers are known to object to the presence of 

 bees in their locality, because they think the bees destroy 

 grapes, peaches and other fruits by breaking the skin 

 and sucking the juices. The Department of Agriculture 

 at Washington has given this matter a thorough test 

 by placing hives of bees in a large closed house ; here 

 these bees had no opportunity to secure food of any kind. 

 In this house where those starving bees were kept there 

 were hung all varieties of fruits, such as grapes, peaches, 

 apples, plums, nectarines, and many other classes of 

 fruits. Observers were placed beside each kind of 

 fruit to notice the action of the bees thereon. It was 

 universally noted that not a bee was observed endeavor- 

 ing to cut into any variety of fruit, regardless of the 

 delicacy of the skin ; but when the skin was broken by 

 decay or bruise, or any similar cause, the bees naturally 

 inserted their tongues and lapped up the escaping 

 juices. 



Wasps. The horticulturist has many friends within 

 this one order to which the bees belong. There is a 

 great variety of that class of wasps which are known as 

 " mud-daubers " and the like, whose silent work in 

 killing caterpillars and carrying them away as provi- 

 sion for their young is of inestimable value to the 

 horticulturist. 



Parasitic Insects. Then there are those of the bee 

 family which we speak of as parasitic Hymenoptera. 

 These insects lay their eggs upon the backs of cater- 

 pillars ; the young from these eggs attack the cater- 



