1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



77 



an island with selected drones. Possibly we 

 may then be able to accentuate the desira- 

 ble traits which we now lose by this hit-and- 

 miss mating out in the open. 



Mr. E. W. Alexander is, I should say, a 

 sort of go-between as regards the extensive 

 fruit- man and the small one. One reason 

 for his success is that he and his son, with a 

 couple of helpers, do all the work, as their 

 bees are all in one locality. — Ed.] 



ORDERS OF INSECTS. 



In our last we learned something of the 

 lowest of the orders of insects ~ Neuroptera 

 — as given by the great Linneeus. We re- 

 member that the members of this order are 

 usually easily distinguished by the numerous 

 veins and cross- veins of all the four wings; 

 hence the name, Neiiroptera, nerve-winged, 

 and also the common name of lace wings. 

 They also have biting mouth- parts, and vary 

 in their transformations, as some, the pseu- 

 do-neuroptera, pass through incomplete 

 transformations, like the dragon-flies, the 

 white ants, and the day flies, or Ephermera, 

 often so common about the street-lamps in 

 towns near the great lakes or other bodies 

 of water. The larvs of these and the drag- 

 on-flies live in water. In the other sub or- 

 der, the neuroptera proper, the transforma- 

 tions are complete. Here are four families 

 that will interest all our readers. The hell- 

 gramites are among our largest insects. 

 The larvae live in water; are very large, and 

 are useful for dissection if the student wish- 

 es to learn the internal anatomy of insects. 

 He thus learns that the heart is tubular, 

 and extends the v/hole length of the back; 

 tiie nervous system runs along below oppo- 

 site the heart; the breathing- organs are 

 complicated branching tubes, one each side 

 the body, and these receive air through 

 spiracles, or breathing-mouths, along the 

 sides of the body. These are easily seen in 

 these hellgramites, and in such huge crea- 

 tures as the great tomato caterpillars — the 

 common green "worms" so troublesome to 

 gardeners. The food-tube stomach and in- 

 testines is central. These huge larvae, or 

 nymphs, are also useful to the fisherman, 

 for they are excellent for bait. The ant- 

 lions and aphis lions also belong here. The 

 former are terrors among insects, so 

 great is their ferocity. Their formidable 

 traps consist of earthern funnels, or holes, 

 dug in the sand. As the ant or luckless in- 

 sect comes along over the edge of t i 

 threatening cavern, it slides down and is 

 grasped by the ant lion, and its life shaken 



out of it, after which its blood is sucked dry. 

 The ant-lion is a long slim insect with 

 huge jaws. The aphis-lion is much like the 

 ant-lion in form and general appearance. 

 These names are given to the insects as lar- 

 wse. The mature insects are very different. 

 The mature ant-lion is in form much Hke the 

 dragon- flies, while the aphis- lion develops 

 inio the green lace- wing, chrysopa, a beau- 

 tiful delicate fly which lays her tiny white 

 eggs at the end of a long hair, thus to pro- 

 tect them from marauding insects. These 

 eggs are laid by the provident mother in the 

 midst of colonies of aphids, or plant-lice. 

 As the long slim strong- jawed larvae come 

 from the eggs they have a perpetual ban- 

 quet always ready. The aphids, or plant- 

 lice, are terrible pillagers on our plants. 

 One of the largest species works on our 

 magnificent lindens. Others work on the 

 willow, and others on our fruit-trees. Thus 

 bee-keepers are interested in these aphis- 

 lions, for they save his bee-forage from 

 devestating aphides. 



These lace-wings have been divided into 

 several orders by naturalists; and, while 

 this is doubtless wise and warranted, the 

 various authorities are not in accord, and 

 so we will leave the order as the great Lin- 

 naeus gave it to us. 



Again, it is interesting to know that all 

 of this order, if we except the white ants, 

 or termites, are our friends. They feed ex- 

 clusively on other insects, and so are ever 

 waylaying and devouring our enemies. Of 

 course, the dragon- flies, in killing bees, car- 

 ry the work almost too far. Yet even these 

 do far more good on the whole than harm. 



Before quitting this word-paintirg of the 

 lace-wings I wish to give a word regarding 

 the cadis worms. The larvae live in streams 

 of water, and build by gluing together 

 stones, shell?, or sticks, for themselves, 

 homes, and protection. They crawl along 

 on the bottom of the streams, and drag the 

 stony hollow cylinders, in which they live, 

 about as they go in quest of luckless fish or 

 insect. I have used these cadis "worms" 

 in the San Bernardino Mountains very suc- 

 cessfully as bait for trout. The mature in- 

 sects have thick paper-like wings, which, 

 when at rest, incline roof- like above the 

 body of the insect. 



ORDER ORTHOPTERA. 



This order includes the crickets, katydids, 

 locusts, and allied insects. The upper (or 

 front) wings are usually long and slim, and 

 hence the name, which means straight- 

 wings. We hardly rieed say that they have 

 biting mouth-parts, for did not the ancient 

 locusts eat "every green thing from off the 

 face of the whole earth"? In Kansas the 

 locusts have, when very thick, entirely strip- 

 ped the trees and shrubs of bark. The 

 transformations are always incomplete. The 

 little hopper could never be mistaken for 

 aught but a cricket, katydid, or locust, as 

 the case might be, by the veriest novice, 

 even though it had just skipped from the 

 egg. The under (or hind) wings are broad, 



