100 A BOOK OF INSECTS 



the tip, and the claws of the feet are simple. With few 

 exceptions, these insects dwell together in social com- 

 munities, which comprise workers, males and females. 



The bees (Apidce) are distinguished from all other 

 Hymenoptera by the feathery hairs which clothe their 

 bodies, and by the great enlargement of the basal segment 

 of the tarsus (p. 55). They vary greatly in their form 

 and life-histories. Most of the genera are made up of 

 solitary species ; but the higher bees are pre-eminently 

 social in their habits. All bees feed upon nectar and 

 pollen, and are thus more intimately associated with 

 flowers than any other insects. 



