CHAPTER II. 



THE HOME OF THE BEES. 

 [Concluded.] 



WHILE the Andrena and Halictus bees, whose habits we now 

 describe, are closely allied in form to the Hive tfee, socially they 

 are the " mud-sills " of bee society, ranking among the lowest 

 forms of the family of bees. Their burrowing habits ally them 

 with the ants, from whose nests their own burrows can scarcely 

 be distinguished. Their economy does not seem to demand the 

 exercise of so much of a true reasoning power and pliable in- 

 stinct as characterizes bees, such as the Honey and Humble bee, 

 which possess a high architectural skill. Moreover they are 

 not social ; they have no *part in rearing and caring for their 

 young, a fact that lends so much interest to the history of the 

 Hive and Humble bee. In this respect they are far below the 

 wasps, a family belonging next below in the system of Nature. 



A glance at the drawing (Fig. 28), of a burrow, with its side 

 galleries, of the Andreua vicina, reveals the economy of one 

 of our most common forms. Quite early in spring, when the 

 sun and vernal breezes have dried up the soil, and the fields 

 exchange their rusty hues for the rich green verdure of May, 

 our Andrena, tired of its idle life among the blossoms of the 

 willow, the wild cherry, and garden flowers, suddenly becomes 

 remarkably industrious, and wields its spade-like jaws and busy 

 feet with a strange and unwonted energy. Choosing some 

 sunny, warm, grassy bank (these nests were observed in the 

 "great pasture" of Salem), not always with a southern expo- 

 sure however, the female sinks her deep well through the sod 

 from six inches to a foot into the sandy soil beneath. She goes 

 to work literally tooth and nail. Reasoning from observations 



(31) 



