Apr. lo, 1912 



likewise vary in length, ranging in the 

 workers from ,g to \'i of an inch. In the fe- 

 males, or queens, the tongue is still longer, 

 and in the garden bumblebee of Kurope 

 [Jiombiis hortorum) reaches the length of 

 I;! of an inch. Of our hardy perennials 

 there are few which produce a more stately 

 elTect than the bee larksi:)ur {Delphinium 

 elaiinn) with its wandlike racemes of deep- 

 blue flowers. The plant is a native of Eu- 

 rope, where it is pollinated by the female of 

 the garden bumblebee, no other bee on the 

 wing at the time it blooms having a tongue 

 long enough to reach the nectar. 



The aconites, or, as they are perhaps bet- 

 ter known, the monkshoods, so called from 

 the shape of the flower, are so dependent on 

 bumblebees for pollination that this genus 

 of plants is absent in those parts of the 

 world where there are no bumblebees. For 

 instance, there are no bumblebees in Africa, 

 Arabia, Australia, or New Zealand, except 

 those recently introduced, and in these re- 

 gions there is no indigenous species of Aco- 

 iiifum. 



I know of no jilant cultivated for its flow- 

 ers alone which manages to thrive and 

 bloom so profusely under the most untoward 

 conditions as the common garden colum- 

 bine {Aquilegia vulgaris). The variously 

 colored pendulous blossoms are great fa- 

 vorites with bumblebees, to which they are 

 well adapted. Our wild columbine {A. Can- 

 orfen.s/.s) has scarlet flowers which are yel- 

 low inside, or rarely all over, and is often 

 visited by hummingbirds as well as by bum- 

 blebees. 



As pollinators of flow^ers, the bees, or An- 

 ihophila (flower-lovers), far surpass all oth- 

 er insects in importance. In their adapta- 

 tions for collecting nectar and pollen, in 

 diligence, and in their mental attributes, 

 bees stand easily in the first rank. To 

 them more than to any other insects is due 

 the evolution of our flora. Unlike all other 

 flower visitors they collect pollen, and it is 

 this habit which has gained them their pre- 

 eminence in the floral world. The beetles, 

 (lies, and butterflies take no thought for 

 their young except to select a suitable place 

 in which to lay their eggs. The solitary 

 wasps provide their nests with flies, spiders, 

 beetles, and other insects, which by sting- 

 ing they have left paralyzed and helpless or 

 dead; while the social wasps go a step fur- 

 ther and masticate their prey before feeding 

 it to their young. But bees are the only in- 

 sects which feed their ofTspriiig with pollen; 

 they are thus wholly dependent upon flow- 

 ers, both for food for themselves and their 

 brood. 



As the result of this interdependence of 

 bees and flowers, united with the industry 

 and mental acuteness of the former, there 

 have been developed a great company of 

 bright-colored blossoms which are es])ecial- 

 ly adajoted to their \isits, and are, in conse- 

 quence, called "bee flowers." They agree 

 in having the nectar deeply concealed, 

 where it is inaccessible to ants and other 

 pillagers. They are often irregular in form. 



as in the pea, bean, and snapdragon. The 

 object of these odd and sometimes bizarre 

 forms is to compel the bee to pursue a fixed 

 path to the nectar so that i)oilination may 

 be elTected with greater certainty. Finally 

 they are more often blue than any other 

 color. So dependent are many flowers up- 

 on the visits of bees that, in their absence, 

 they fail to produce seed. 8uch are the red 

 clover, salvia, larkspur, and some orchids. 



Irregular or one-sided bee flowers occur in 

 large numbers in the violet, pea, mint, and 

 figwort families. The species of the violet 

 family consist chiefly of bee flowers, the 

 general form of which is familiar to every 

 one. One warm clear day early in May I 

 found the round-leaved yellow violet ( Viola 

 rotundifolia) blooming luxuriantly beneath 

 an old beach tree. Bumblebees, as well as 

 smaller bees belonging to the genera No- 

 m((d(i and Andreiia, were flitting about 

 busily from flower to flower. On the other 

 hand, according to my observations our 

 wild blue violets are very sparingly visited 

 by bees, and are often infertile. Perhaps 

 this is the reason why many of the species, 

 besides their showy blossoms, produce small 

 green flowers close to the roots, which nev- 

 er expand but are very fruitful. 



CLEISTOGAMIC FLOWERS. 



The beautiful and richly variegated varie- 

 ties of the pansy ( Viola trieolor) have been 



A. V. \\ agiicr, i:i Centro, Cal.. pioneer bee-keeper 

 and bee-inspector. Mr. Wagner liegan 2(5 years 

 ago when a boy, and has worked with bees in vari- 

 ous parts of the country. lie now has 600 colonies 

 divided into six yards. 



