RUBY WASPS. 131 



We bred out the ruby-wasp (Plate i6, Fig. lo) 

 from the nest of a mason bee. From one cell the 

 adult ruby-wasp emerged, and in another cell there 

 were the two larvae present in the cell — the bee 

 larva and a smaller ruby-wasp larva. We exam- 

 ined the "bee bread" from the cell of a young grub 

 and found that the pollen grains (white) were those 

 of some Myrtaceous plant such as Leptospermum 

 (Tea Tree), Melaleuca (Tea Tree), or small flow- 

 ered Eucalyptus. 



On examining the mouth of this ruby-wasp we 

 found that it had a fairly long, broad tongue 

 which was segmented and had two pairs of con- 

 spicuous palp-like structures. (Plate i6, Fig. 9.) 

 It is probable from this that these wasps suck up 

 honey or nectar of flowers. The larva pupates with- 

 in a silken cocoon shutting out the excretion. (Plate 

 16, Fig". II.) It is well worth while keeping nests 

 of mud-wasps or bees, and to note how many 

 parasites may be recorded. We keep them in boxes 

 sometimes for a year, and are usually rewarded 

 by the presence of some adults of the builders of 

 the' cells, and very often a fly or wasp parasite, or 

 both. 



