THE AMERICAJM BEE JOURNAL. 



679 



many other respects. Their mode of 

 living together in large, well-ordered 

 communities, presided over by a 

 queen, has long been a subject of 

 marvel and of study. Out of the wax, 

 which exudes at the joints of the ab- 

 dominal segments of their bodies, 

 they construct a " comb," consisting 

 of a number of united cells. The 

 cells, when finished, are tilled with 

 honey or "bee-bread," a substance 

 composed of a mixture of honey and 

 pollen. This bee-bread forms the 

 rood upon which the young larva; are 

 reared. 



The bees are the greatest promoters 

 of cross-fertilization, not only among 

 the Ilymenoptera, but among all in- 

 sects whatsoever. 



Over two hundred species of our 

 native bees (Apidw) are known as 

 frequenting (lowers, the most famil- 

 iar being tiie common honey-bee. The 

 task of collecting and storing honey 

 is performed exclusively by the neu- 

 ters (workers). The humble-bees do 

 not fall far short of the honey-bees in 

 the assiduity with whicli they fre- 

 quent flowers, and they surpass the 

 latter in size and in length of pro- 

 boscis. Our most common species 

 are the earth humble-bee [Bombus 

 terrestris), the garden humble-bee 

 (Bombus hortorum),tbe moss-bee {Bom- 

 bus iimscorum), and the stone-bee 

 (Bombvs lapidarius). Very similar to 

 the humble-bees in appearance and 



Anterior Leg of a Worker Bee. 



structure are tlie hairy-bees. Thev 

 are readily distinguished, however, as 

 we shall presently see, by the forma- 

 tion of the hind-legs. There is also a 

 sand-bee {Andrena l^chrankella, a 

 species representing one of the largest 

 genera), which may be seen in early 

 spring on catkins and other spring 

 flowers. 



We have already said that, over and 

 above their high intelligence, bees are 

 remarkable for having certain points 

 of their body specially modified in 

 connection with the acquiring of 

 honey and pollen. AVe will now 

 further consider the structures con- 

 cerned in effecting this end, viz., the 

 suctorial apparatus and the apparatus 

 for collecting pollen. 



The suctorial apparatus is in most 

 bees developed in very great perfec- 

 tion. In many the proboscis is of 

 considerable length, in some cases 

 being as long as the body. It consists 

 of the long vermiform tongue (/) (as 

 in the butterflies), the upper surface 

 of which is mostly well provided with 

 oblique rows of long bristles. The 

 maxillic [l) and part of the labial 

 palpi [k) are modified into flat, leaf- 

 like, linear processes, which are ar- 

 ranged around tlie tongue (/), and 

 thus complete the suctorial proboscis. 

 While, therefore, the suctorial appara- 

 tus of the butterfly consists simply 

 of a coiling or suctorial tongue, 

 it must be noted that in the bee other 



parts are concerned in the formation 

 of the tubular sucking apparatus. In 

 many bees, besides, the tii> of the 

 tongue is peculiarly modified, so as to 

 enable the insect to taste the honey 

 before beginning to collect it, an ar- 

 rangement by which honey of un- 

 pleasant taste can be rejected. 



AI'PAKATUS FOK COLLECTING POLLEN. 



Of all insects the bees alone have 

 certain parts of their body specialized 

 for the collection of pollen. The 

 structures developed for this end are 

 in their way perfect. They may be 

 found eitlier on the ventral surface of 

 the posterior portion of the body or 

 on the legs. Accordingly, bees may 

 thus be divided into two groups: 1. 

 Hees having structures for the collec- 

 tion of pollen on the ventral surface 



Tongue of the Roney-Bee. 



of the body ; and, 2. Bees having such 

 structures on their legs. To the first 

 group belong the mason-bees (Osmia) 

 and the leaf-cutter bees [3IegachUe). 

 In these species the ventral surface 

 of the abdomen is furnished with 

 long, stiff, retroverted hairs, by means 

 of which the pollen is brushed from 

 the anthers as tlie insect passes in or 

 out of the flower. The grains get en- 

 tangled among the hairs, from among 

 which the bee afterward dislodges 

 the'm by means of its legs. 



This contrivance is admirably 

 adapted for obtaining pollen from 

 flowers having a flat corolla, but not 

 for such as have the anthers concealed 

 in a deep tube. Our most highly de- 

 veloped bees (humble;bees, honey- 

 bees, etc.) have, therefore, an appara- 



tus suitable for collecting pollen from 

 flowers of all shapes. 



The pollen, once removed from the 

 antlers, is next transferred to the 

 hairs, or to the surface of the tibia, to 

 which, being viscid, it readily ad- 

 heres. After the process of collecting 

 has been carried on for some time, the 

 pollen forms thick yellow masses, 

 which completely envelop the legs. 

 Laden with the fruits of its toil, tlie 

 insect wings its way homeward, and 

 deposits them in the beehive. 



While our native flowers are many 

 of them entirely dependent on insects 

 for the transference of pollen, the 

 process of cross-fertilization is, in 

 many tropical species, always effected 

 by birds, which visit the flowers on 

 account of their nectar. 



In America the humming-birds and 

 in Africa the honey-eaters are the 

 great promoters of cross fertilization. 



The honey-birds are found in the 

 tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and 

 Australia, while the humming-birds 

 belong to tropical and South America. 

 The former suck the honey with their 

 long, tubular tongue, which is brush- 

 like at the tip. Their relations to 

 flowers have not yet been sufticiently 

 investigated, but a good deal is known 

 respecting those of humming-birds. 



The humming-birds are small (the 

 largest species attaining to about the 

 size of a swallow, the smallest not 

 much larger than a humble-beie) and 

 of delicate structure. They are famed 

 for their magnificent plumage, which 

 almost always displays metallic tints. 

 Their flight does not resemble that of 

 our native birds, being maintained by 

 rapid vibrations of the wings, which 

 enable them to remain apparently 

 motionless in one spot for a consider- 

 able time. Their passage from place 

 to place is effected by a series of 

 rapid darts, almost too swift for the 

 eye to follow. Their flight might per- 

 haps be best compared to that of a 

 moth. Like these insects, the hum- 

 ming-birds hover long over a flower, 

 sipping the honey with their long, 

 thin bill, and in other particulars also 

 —in color and form, for example — 

 humming-birds and moths offer some 

 remarkable parallels. Representatives 

 of each may be found, to distinguish 

 between which needs a close scrutiny, 

 and which, when on the wing, might 

 perplex the best observer. To all 

 outward appearance the humming- 

 birds are birds when at rest, but in- 

 sects when in motion. 



We thus see that in the tropics 

 there are not only wind and insect 

 fertilized flowers, as with us, but also 

 certain which are bird-fertilized, i. e., 

 plants in which the transference of 

 the pollen is effected by humming- 

 birds. 



Convention Notices. 



t^' Tlie Central Michigan Bee-Keepers' 

 Associatit)n will meet in the Pioneers* Rooms 

 in the State Capitol, at Lansing, Mich., at 9 

 a. m., on Nov. 12, 188.i. All who have bees 

 or are interested in bee-culture, are invited 

 to attend. E. N. Wood, Sec. 



Tlio Central Illinois Convention will be 

 held at .Tacksonville, Ills., on Wednesday 

 and Thursday, Oct. 28 and 29, 1885. 



CHAS. D.tDANT. 



