22 THE ORDERS OF INSECTS. 



in their attentions to their progeny, and that the so-called "ant- 

 eggs " are not really eggs, but pupce, which the ants expose to 

 the proper amount of sun and air required for their develop- 

 ment. 



The solitary wasps and bees form nests in loose earth, or 

 sometimes in decaying wood, differently constructed according to 

 the species, and provisioned by the bees with honey, and by the 

 wasps with caterpillars or other insects, which they sting in such 

 a manner as to disable without killing them, so that a store of 

 fresh provisions is always ready for the young larvae when they 

 hatch. 



In the Humble Bees (Bomfais) we already find small communi- 

 ties, consisting of perhaps a hundred individuals living together. 

 There are no neuters among them, but the females differ very 

 much in size, some being twice as large as others. 



The Social Wasps belong to the genus Vespa, the species of 

 which are all yellow with black markings, and are very similar 

 to each other. They make their nests of a material resembling 

 paper, either in the ground, under the eaves of a house, or sus- 

 pended to the branch of a tree. The largest species, the Hornet 

 \Vespa Crabro], generally forms its nest in a hollow tree. It is 

 about twice the size of the other wasps, but much less common 

 in most parts of this country, and its nests are much less popu- 

 lous. 



Although, unlike bees, there are always many females in 

 wasps' nests, yet every colony is founded by a single female which 

 has survived the winter. Having constructed the beginning of 

 a nest by herself, she continues her labours until she is joined by 

 her progeny ; and the whole colony works together to procure 

 provisions and tend the young, until winter sets in. Then the 

 wasps massacre the still immature larvae and pupae in the nest ; 

 and are themselves speedily killed by the increasing cold. A 

 few females only survive the winter in a torpid state, to form 

 fresh colonies next year. All the wasps which we see flying 

 about in early spring are therefore females, each of which will 

 soon found a new colony ; and if we wish to diminish their 

 numbers in summer, we can do so most effectually by destroying 

 these wasps in spring. 



The common Honey Bee or Hive Bee (Apis Mellificd) is 

 scarcely to be considered wild, and has been introduced into 

 every part of the world. A hive of bees contains one female, 

 or queen bee ; 200 or 300 males, or drones ; and a large number 

 of neuters, or workers, whose office it is to tend the larvae 

 and pupae, construct the combs, and provide food for the com- 



