Common Insects — Grasshopper and Honeybee 407 



like^ whitish larva ("grub") hatches from the e^g in four days. All 

 larvae are fed on a specially prepared and predigested mixture of honey 

 and pollen ("royal jelly") for a few days^, after which the drone and 

 worker larvae are fed on plain honey and pollen, while the queen larva 

 is kept on the "royal jelly" diet. This continuity of special food causes 

 the larva to develop into a queen instead of a worker. After six days 

 a larva develops into a pupa (pu' pa) (L. pupa, puppet) enclosed in a 

 silken cocoon. A worker pupa changes into an adult bee in about thir- 

 teen days, a queen in about seven days and a drone in about fifteen days 

 (Figs. 195 and 196). 



QUESTIONS AND TOPICS 



1. List the distinguishing characteristics of the class Insecta. 



2. List the characteristics which grasshoppers and honeybees have in common. 



3. List the ways in which grasshoppers and honeybees differ, being specific in 

 the various details. 



4. Why are insects placed in the phylum Arthropoda? 



5. Explain and give the significance of (1) ecdysis, (2) chitin, (3) hemocoel, 

 (4) spiracle, (5) ostia, (6) Malpighian tubules, (7) ommatidia, and (8) 

 sinus. 



6. Explain each of the following for the grasshopper and honeybee: (1) integu- 

 ment, (2) motion and locomotion, (3) ingestion and digestion, (4) circula- 

 tion, (5) respiration, (6) excretion and egestion, (7) coordination and sensory 

 equipment, and (8) reproduction. In what specific ways have these shown 

 an improvement over the same i n lower types of animals? 



7. Contrast the types of mouth parts in the grasshopper and honeybee. 



8. Contrast each of the three legs of the grasshopper with the same leg of the 

 honeybee, including the major differences. Which insect would you consider 

 the more specialized in this connection? 



9. Describe the structure and function of a compound eye. 



10. Contrast the types of metamorphosis in the grasshopper and honeybee. 



11. Discuss the economic importance of grasshoppers and honeybees. 



12. Discuss the colonial life and the various castes of honeybees. 



13. Discuss the structure and functions of the so-called "open type" of circulatory 

 system. 



14. List the advantages and disadvantages of a separate tracheal system of respira- 

 tion. 



15. Why is it scientifically incorrect to say honeybees gather honey? 



16. List the conclusions you can draw from your studies of the grasshopper and 

 honeybee. 



SELECTED REFERENCES 



Brues: Insects and Human Welfare, Harvard University Press. 



Blatchley: Orthoptera of North-eastern America, Indianapolis, Nature Publishing 

 Go. 



