88 



GENERAL ZOOLOGY 



the tongue of the honeybees to reach the nectar at the 

 bottom. But the bumblebees reach the bottom of the cup 

 and in so doing carry pollen from one flower to another. 

 The early blossoms of the clover come out in the spring 

 before many bumblebees are on the wing. These rarely 





-j» 



Fig. 58. Leaf-cutter 

 bee and nest. (Nat- 

 ural size) 



produce seeds. A 

 farmer usually de- 

 pends on his sec- 

 ond cutting of the 

 clover for seeds, 

 because the second 

 crop is in blossom 

 after the bumble- 

 bees become ac- 

 tive. 

 There are several bees called guest bees (Psith'yrus), which 

 live in the nest of the bumblebees, apparently on good terms 

 with them, though they do not, so far as known, perform 

 any useful function. Their eggs are laid with the eggs of 

 the bumblebees, and the larvae feed on the food which the 

 bumblebees provide for their own young. Some of the guest 

 bees resemble their hosts quite closely ; others are different 

 in appearance, so that it cannot be said in all cases that the 

 bumblebees are deceived by the resemblance. One effect of 

 the dependence of the guest bees on their hosts is seen in 



