THE ANTS, BEES, AND WASPS 



87 



honey itself. Boys in the West rob the bees by placing a 

 gallon jug partially filled with water in the vicinity of the 

 nest and thoroughly arousing the members of the commu- 

 nity. The boys make good their escape to a safe distance, and 

 the bees, perceiving the jug, fly to its open mouth, which 



Mimicked forms, — insects with means of defense 

 The honeybee A wasp A bumblebee 



(Apis mellifica) (Vespa occidentalis) (Bombus Howardii) 



Mimicking forms, — insects without means of defense 

 A fly A beetle A fly 



(Eristalis tenax) (Clytus marginicollis) (Volucella evecta) 



Fig. 57. Mimicked and mimicking insects. (Natural size) 



From photographs > 



echoes the buzzing of their wings. Some bees fly into the 

 mouth of the jug, thus adding to the noise and attracting 

 others. It is said that with two disturbances of the nest the 

 worker bees can all be captured. 



The red clover, of such great value as a hay crop, de° 

 pends almost altogether upon bumblebees for fertilizing the 

 flowers. The funnel-shaped flowers are too deep to allow 



1 From Hunter's Studies in Insect Life. 



