204 LIFE STORIES OF AUSTRALIAN INSECTS. 



little home has an entrance tunnel with several side 

 passages running from it. The mother bee makei) 

 a cell in each side passage, and the main entrance 

 of the tunnel is free. 



The genus Halictus goes still further towards 

 social habits. Several mother-bees build a common 

 home. There is a main entrance or tunnel in the 

 sand which may be a foot long. Then each mother 

 builds her own side passage and constructs a series 

 of cells in each of which she packs pollen and 

 honey, and an tgg, and then seals them up. An- 

 drenids do not store honey in special cells, for their 

 homes last only one season. After laying the egg 

 and sealing up the cell the mother bothers no fur- 

 ther about her offspring. Some andrenids are very 

 lazy and do not make a nest and store food. 

 They lay eggs in the cells of some work- 

 ing andrenid and simply have a lazy time 

 among the flowers. The larva of the lazy-bee, or 

 inquiline, eats the food supply of the rightful owner 

 of the nest. Hence these inquilines are often called 

 ''cuckoos," and they have not the legs developed 

 for the carrying of pollen. 



Prosopis is a genus of Australian andrenid. 

 These bees are of a black or metallic blue colour 

 with yellow markings. Halictus- is also found in 

 Australia with several other genera. We found 

 that a species of Andrenid bee cross-pollinates the 

 flowers of the lance-leafed geebung (Pcrsooiiia). 



Family Apidae. 



These are the long-tongued bees whose mouth has 

 been described in the general characteristics of the 



