THe HyMENopTeRA OF MINNESOTA 235 
festly impossible to do justice to the honey bee in a report of this kind. 
For an excellent account of bee management, as well as the ecology of 
Liewwoneyepee, sce Uhe ABC: Vand X]Y-Z. of Bee Culture; latest 
edition, published by the A. I. Root Co., Medina, Ohio. 
The honey bee is distributed practically over the entire globe and 
it should be borne in mind that there is only one species, the appella- 
tions “German,” “Italian,” “Carniolan,” etc., referring simply to strains 
of the same species. 
Next in importance, perhaps, is the group containing the bumble 
bees, of which over 50 native species are known. A striking char- 
acteristic of these bees is the abundant hair covering; and there is a 
great variation in color of same, as well as in the size of the individ- 
uals. They are distinctly social. Males, females and workers exist, 
the workers not being distinguishable from the females, and if the true 
queen dies, the smaller females may continue the colony. The nest is 
made of dry grass or leaves in a hollow in the field in or under old 
stumps, under boards, or even below the surface of the ground. In 
the latter case there may be 200 or 300 individuals in a nest, but the 
colonies on the surface are less populous. 
In autumn, large numbers of males are produced, also new 
queens. The colony as a whole then dies except a few fertilized 
queens, which survive the winter, each destined to start a new colony 
in the spring. The eggs first laid produce neuters or workers, later 
males and productive females are produced. Certain female bees in 
the colony, smaller than the queen, may help in egg-laying, and this 
is sure to be the case if the true queen dies. About four weeks elapse 
between the depositing of the egg and emergence of the perfect insect. 
Bumble bees do not use cells twice, but form new cells on the rem- 
nants of the old; consequently the nests may be quite bulky. They 
are destroyed by several animals, either for the honey or for the larvae 
contained therein. Field mice, weasels, and foxes are the chief ma- 
rauders. 
In the nest are found “honey tubs,” “pollen tubs” and the cells of 
a “friendly parasite,” Psithyrus (Apathus), discussed below. Honey 
is stored in empty pupal cells and in other special receptacles made en- 
tirely of wax. Country boys are aware of these stores and rob the 
nests. 
Psithyrus (Apathus) is always found in and about bumble bee 
nests. It is widely distributed and resembles a bumble bee very closely, 
