CHAPTER XXII. 



Order HYMENOPTERA (Hy-me-nop'te-ra). 

 Bees, Wasps, A nts, and others. 



TJie members of this order have four wings ; these are 

 membranous, and furnished with comparatively few or with 

 no transverse veins. The hind wings are smaller than the 

 fore wings. The moiith-parts are formed for biting and 

 sucking. The abdomen in the females is usually furnished 

 with a sting, piercer, or saw. The metamorphosis is complete. 



The bees, wasps, and ants are among the better-known 

 insects, and will serve to give an idea of the characteristic 

 appearance of the members of this order. They are chiefly 

 insects of small or moderate size, and many of them 

 abound wherever flowers bloom. From the earliest times 

 the\ r have been favorites with students of the habits of ani- 

 mals, for among them we find the most wonderful develop- 

 ments of instinctive powers. Many volumes have been 

 written regarding their ways, and much remains to be dis- 

 covered, even concerning our most common species. 



The name of the order is from two Greek words 

 hyjncn, membrane, and pteron, a wing. It refers to the fact 

 that the wings are of a delicate membranous texture ; but 

 this characteristic is not distinctive, for it is possessed by 

 the wings of many other insects. 



In the Hymenoptera the wings of each side are held to- 

 gether by a row of hooks on the front margin of the hind 



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