Stinging Insects 43 



The ants lacking a sting are those of the subfamily Camponotinse, 

 which includes the largest of our local species. It is an interesting 

 fact that some of these species possess the largest poison glands and 

 reservoir (fig. 28) and it is found that when they attack an enemy 

 they bring the tip of the abdomen forward and spray the poison in 

 such a way that it is introduced into the wound made by the powerful 

 mandibles. 



More feared than any of the other Hymenoptera are the hornets 

 and wasps. Of these there are many species, some of which attain 



29. A harmless, but much feared larva, the "tomato worm." 

 Natural size. Photograph by M. V. S. 



a large size and are truly formidable. Phisalix (1897), has made a 

 study of the venom of the common hornet and finds that, like the 

 poison of the honey-bee, it is neither an albuminoid nor an alkaloid. 

 Its toxic properties are destroyed at 120 C. Phisalix also says that 

 the venom is soluble in alcohol. If this be true, it differs in this 

 respect from that of the bee. An interesting phase of the work of 

 Phisalix is that several of her experiments go to show that the venom 

 of hornets acts as a vaccine against that of vipers. 



NETTLING INSECTS 



So far, we have considered insects which possess poison glands 

 connected with the mouth-parts or a special sting and which actively 



