DIPTERA 



41 



22. Ants. — The ants are insects which live in large 

 families. Each family has many workers, and a number 

 of queens and males. Certain kinds have in addition their 

 soldiers which have strong mouth parts (mandibles). The 

 soldiers do the fighting for the family. Some ants are 

 winged and others are wingless. 



Many ants have the curious habit of protecting the plant 

 lice, because these lice give off a sweet fluid of which the 

 ants are fond. In some cases the ants carry the plant lice 

 from the wilted leaf to a fresh one, or confine them in the 

 ants' nest and bring them fresh leaves. When they wish 

 to feed on the sweet fluid, the ants quietly stroke the body 

 of the plant lice with their antennae. 



23. Diptera. — The Diptera (dip'ter-a: Greek, dia, two; 

 pteron, wing) include such harmful insects as the mos- 

 quito, housefly, botfly, and 

 cheese skipper ; also the bene- 

 ficial bee fly, wasp fly, and 

 tachina fly. 



The most important member 

 of this group is the mosquito. 

 The common mosquito lays its 

 eggs in the water in small clus- 

 ters which look like minute 

 rafts. These eggs hatch into 

 larvse, called " wigglers. " Any 

 stagnant pool or rainwater bar- 

 rel furnishes a favorable place for mosquitoes to breed. 



In the United States there are three distinct kinds of 

 mosquitoes. (1) The common mosquito is known by the 

 technical name of Culex (kiVleks). It is not known that 

 the Culex carries in its body any disease germs harmful 

 to men, therefore it is regarded as harmless, although a 

 source of great annoyance to those who frequent the woods 



Figure 42. — Fly. 



