20 



PSYCHE. 



[February 1S04. 



comparatively is known of the vast 

 majority of the most common forms. 



It is hoped that a few new facts 

 respecting the habits of some of our 

 species will be found in this address, 

 but it is intended more as a review of 

 the subject, the principal object in view 

 being to bring together what is known 

 of the habits of these insects to show- 

 the uniformity of habits in genera and 

 species of the same genus the world 

 over, and, moreover, to point out just 

 how little real knowledge we possess of 

 our own species, with the hope that it 

 mav awaken more interest in these 

 insects and kindle a desire in some of 

 our entomologists to make some eflbrt 

 toward unravelling the life history of at 

 least a few of the common species of 

 his neighborhood. 



If every entomologist in the United 

 States and Canada would, during the 

 year 1S94, make up his mind to at least 

 make known the habits, development 

 and parasites of one or two species it 

 surely could be done, and then what a 

 vast amount of new and interesting 

 reading we should have next winter. 

 How refreshing it would be to take up 

 one of our entomological journals, or 

 an experiment station bulletin, and see 

 some such article in place of the old, 

 old story, "the canker-worm, the cod- 

 ling moth, the chinch-bug, or the plum 

 Curculio." 



The subject merits attention also 

 from an economic standpoint, as, with 

 but few exceptions, all the aculeate 

 Hymenoptera are of the greatest eco- 

 nomic importance, either as fertilizers 

 of plants, shrubs and trees, by transport- 



ing pollen from blossom to olossom, or 

 as destroj'ers of injurious insects. 



In order to bring out more thoroughly 

 the points to which I have called atten- 

 tion, I propose to take up seriatim the 

 different families, give a resume of w'hat 

 is known and at the same time incorpo- 

 rate any new facts that mav have come 

 under my observation. 



Family I. Apidae. As the most 

 specialized we ma\- begin, therefore, 

 with this family. Excluding Apis mel- 

 lijica as not indigenous and the Melli- 

 ponae as not extending into our fauna, 

 we have no less than 35 genera and S-o 

 species belonging to this familv. Of 

 these, the genus Botnhus in structure, 

 social habits, and in the honey-pro- 

 ducing qualities of its members, is 

 probably more closely allied to the 

 true honej'-bee than an}' other of our 

 bees and it may, therefore, be con- 

 sidered the forerunner of the honey-bee. 



Mr. F. W. Putnam, in "Notes on 

 the habits of some species of humble- 

 bees" (Proc. Essex inst.. vol. 4. 1S64, 

 pp. 9S-104) was one of the first of our 

 writers to treat of some of our species. 

 In this paper he briefly treats of the 

 nesting habits of Bombus ier?iarius 

 Kirby, £. fervidus Fabr., J3. vagatts 

 Smith. B. virginicits Oliv, B . separa- 

 iiis Cr. and B. pennsvlvanicus De Geer. 



The habits of our species agree fairly 

 well with tlie observations made upon 

 the European species and are briefly as 

 follows : the female bumble- or humble- 

 bee, which has hibernated in some 

 crevice or other secure place during 

 the winter, appears in early spring with 

 the first blossoms from which it can 



