Humble-Bees. 



341 



such a visitation on an enormous scale tliat occurred in the year 1869, when 

 actually more lady-birds came over than could be absorbed by the hop-helds, 

 and the surplus came on to London, where they streamed over roads, pavements, and 

 walls, so that there were probably far more lady-birds than green-fly. Lots of money 

 had no doubt been wasted that year on poisonous w^ashes ; the lady-birds did the 

 work of clearing the hop-gardens without one halfpenny of expense to anyone. 



In former times such migrating swarms have filled the people with alarm. 

 The reason for their visit not being understood, they have been regarded as portents 

 of some dire evil that was about to befall the country. Even so recently as the 

 year 1835 the intelligent authorities at Reading appear to have been perturbed 

 by such a visitation, for it is on record that the fire engines, public and 

 private, were called out to repel the " attack," and disperse the invaders w:th 

 water that had been poisoned with tobacco ! — though 

 pure water would have been (juite as effective for 

 washing them a\\"ay. 



Humble-Bees. 



Half-wav, so to speak, between the honey-storing 

 bees of the hive and the bees that lead a solitary life, 

 come the humble-bees. ^ They are social bees, but 

 their communities are very small when compared with 

 those of the honey-bee. As the results of their com- 

 munal activity cannot be bought and sold, man has not 

 taken them under his wing and provided them with 

 patent hives and comb-foundation. For all that, their 

 industry is of the greatest importance to all growers of 

 flowers and fruit, for they are most efficient agents in 

 the pollination of plants, and their presence or absence 

 in normal numbers makes all the difference between 

 good and bad fruit harvests 

 honey-bee, the community consists of males, females, The- wiiif.'s of these beetles, it win be seen, 



-^ .ire much longe.- than their winsj-covers, 



and incomplete females known as workers. under which they an- foWed. Their ex- 



'^ _ tension, as shown in the photograph, is 



As compared with the honey-bee the humble-bee always the preliminary to mght.'^ 

 is a burh' giant wdiose reappearance in spring is alwaxs welcomed as 

 she goes about the earliest blossoms and lets the- world know by her 

 cheerful humming that she is returning to activity. These early bees 

 are always females that have lain in a torpid state through the winter 

 in some cosy nook, and have temporarily emerged for the relrcshment that 

 sallow catkins aftord. As you stand uiuler the sallows in ]\Iarch and listen to the 

 organ-like volume of music that emanates from the hundreds of humble-bees that 

 are gathering nectar from the flowers — the so-called " palm " — you may be excused 

 for regarding them as a " swarm " akin to the swarms of honey-bees. As a matter 

 of fact, every individual of that host is an independent female, each the possible 

 founder of a new and separate colon}-. When thev have filled their honey-bags, 

 each goes back to her hibernaculum to sleep again until Maw Tlien she looks 



^ Bombus. 



Photo by] ;/•;. Slfp, F.L.S. 



As is the case with the fourtee.n-si'otted L.\dy-Bird. 



