120 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



Dr. Ashmead presented the following paper : 



REMARKS ON HONEY BEES. 

 By WILLIAM H. ASHMEAD. 



Hive bees, or the genuine honey bees, are of great economic 

 importance in all countries, not only as adding to the wealth of 

 the people but as pollenizers of various plants and fruit trees. 

 Their study, therefore, is always interesting, and something new 

 may be discovered either biologically or morphologically. 



A number of exotic honey bees having accumulated in the 

 National Museum, I became greatly interested in their study and 

 in naming the various species represented. Thinking the results of 

 this study would prove of interest to some of our members I shall 

 to-night give briefly some of these results, and shall exhibit most 

 of the various species now represented in the National collection. 

 The species exhibited are, as you will see from the labels, from 

 various countries : Europe, Africa, the East Indies, Japan, China, 

 Malay Archipelago, the Philippines, etc. 



You are all doubtless aware that authorities differ greatly respect 

 ing the number of species of honey bees found in the world. 

 Some think there is but a single species and treat others as mere 

 varieties ; others that there are two or three species ; while still 

 others would have nine, ten or a dozen species. Our material is 

 yet too limited for me to form any decided opinion, or to settle 

 the vexed question respecting the number of species, or the vari 

 ous problems connected with the numerous varieties, originating 

 from cross-fertilization and various climatic causes ; but so far as 

 my studies have gone I have reached almost the same opinion as 

 that given by Mr. Frederick Smith, of the British Museum, many 

 years ago, and published in the Annals and Magazine of Natural 

 History for 1865. 



The old genus Apis should, I think, be divided into two genera, 

 representing the two sections first defined by Smith, as follows: 



Eyes somewhat convergent above so that the vertex is narrowed, the 

 lateral ocelli being farther from each other than to the eye margin ; 

 second recurrent nervure received by the third cubital cell very near 



its apex Megnpis, n. gen. 



(Type : Apis dor sat a Fabr.) 



Eyes not convergent above, the vertex not narrowed, the lateral ocelli 

 not farther from each other than to the eye margin ; second recur 

 rent nervure received by the third cubital cell some distance from 



its apex Apis Linne. 



(Type : Apis mellifera L.) 



