34: THE HOME OF THE BEES. 



About the first of August the larva transforms to a pupa or 

 chrysalis, as at this time two pupse were found in cells a foot 

 beneath the surface. As shown in the cut, those cells situated 

 lowest down seem to be the last to have been made, while the 

 eggs laid in the highest are the first to hatch, and the larvae 

 disclosed from them, the first to change to pupae. Four days 

 later the pupaj of Cuckoo bees (Nomada) were found in the 

 cells. No Andrenas were seen flying about at this time. 



On the 24th of August, to be still very circumstantial in our 

 narrative though at the risk of being tedious, three burrows 

 were unearthed, and in them three fully formed bees were found 

 nearly ready to leave their cells, and in addition several pupea. 

 In some other cells there were three of the parasitic Nomada 

 also nearly ready to come out, which seemed to be identical 

 with some bees noticed playing very innocently about the holes 

 early in the summer. 



On the last day of August, very few of the holes were open. 

 A number of Oil beetles were strolling suspiciously about in the 

 neighborhood, and some little black Ichneumon flies were seen 

 running about among the holes. 



During midsummer the holes were found closed night and 

 day by clods of earth. 



The burrow is sunken perpendicularly, with short passages 

 leading to the cells, which are slightly inclined downwards and 

 outwards from the main gallery. The walls of the gallery are 

 rough, but the cells are lined with a mucous-like secretion, 

 which, on hardening, looks like the glazing of earthenware. 

 This glazing is quite hard, and breaks up into angular pieces. 

 It is evidently the work of the bee herself, and is not secreted 

 and laid on by the larva. The diameter of the interior of the 

 cell is about one-quarter of an inch, contracting a little at the 

 mouth. When the cell is taken out, the dirt adheres for a line 

 in thickness, so that it is of the size and form of an acorn. 



The larva of Andrena (Fig. 29) is soft and fleshy, like that of 

 the Honey bee. Its body is flattened, bulging out prominently 

 at the sides, and tapering more rapidly than usual towards each 

 end of the body. The skin is very thin, so that along the back 

 the heart or dorsal vessel maybe distinctly seen, pulsating about 

 sixty times a minute. 



Our cut (Fig. 28, a) also represents the pupa, or chrysalis, as 

 seen lying in its cell. The limbs are folded close to the body 



