6 Thf Irish Naturalist, January, 



ACULEATE HYMENOPTERA FROM THE COUNTIES 

 OF DONEGAL, FERMANAGH AND ARMAGH. 



BY REV. W. F. JOHNSON, M.A., F.E.S,, M.R.I. A. 



As usual the big yellow and black Humble Bee, Bomhus 

 luconim, was early on the wing, appearing here on March 23. 

 It was soon followed by Andrena cineraria in black and grey, 

 which I saw on April 2nd, busy making its nests in a bank 

 on the roadside. The habits of many, in fact I may say of 

 all these Hymenoptera, i.e., Ants, Bees, and Wasps, are 

 most interesting. The misfortune is that we know so little 

 about them. The species of Pompilus and Salius provision 

 their nests with spiders which they paratyse with their sting 

 so that though unable to move they are yet not dead. 

 The}^ are very active insects, running very quickly but not 

 using their wings much. They are seldom seen except in 

 sunshine ; at other times they hide at the roots of grass, 

 etc. The species of Crabro enumerated below are small 

 black insects, very polished and shining. The}^ make their 

 nests in bramble stems, rotten wood, and sometimes by 

 burrowing in sand. They provision their nests in many cases 

 with two- winged flies (Diptera). The Odyneri are Mason- 

 wasps and make their cells in any opening they can find. 

 I have found them trying to establish themselves in the 

 opening for the pulley of a window cord, while the window 

 was open. Like the Common Wasp, they are yellow and 

 black in colour, but the black predominates more than in 

 the Wasp ; they are also smaller and more slender in build. 

 Mellinus is a sand wasp more slender than Odynerus and 

 like it yellow and black. It is mostly found about sandhills, 

 where it makes its burrows and provisions them with flies 

 like Crabro. The Halicti are little bees which burrow in the 

 earth and form cells for the reception of their eggs and 

 consequent grubs, for whose support they lay in a store of 

 honey and pollen. They live in colonies and their burrows 

 are often branched. An admirable account of their habits 

 is to be found in J. H. Fabre's book, " Bramble Bees and 

 Others." The species of Nomada are pretty insects, black 

 as to head and thorax, with in some cases red markings and 

 the abdomen yellow with cither black or brown bands. 



