310 ENTOMOLOGY 



One of the carpenter bees, Ccratina dupla, which builds in 

 the hollow stem of a plant a series of larval cells separated by 

 partitions, is said by Comstock to watch over her nest until 

 the young mature. 



The transition from the solitary to the social habit is indi- 

 cated in the life-histories of wasps and bumble bees, where a 

 solitary queen founds the colony but soon relegates to other 

 individuals all duties except that of egg-laying. The social 

 insects will now be considered. 



TERMITES 



Though popularly known as " white ants," the termites are 

 quite different from true ants, being indeed not very far re- 

 moved from the most primitive insects. In view of the ex- 

 treme contrast in structure and development between termites 

 and ants, it is remarkable that the two groups should have 

 much the same kind of 'complex social organization. 



FIG. 273. 



Various forms of Termes lucifugus. A, adult worker; B, soldier; C, perfect winged 

 insect; D, perfect insect after shedding the wings; E, young complementary queen; 

 F, older complementary queen. Enlarged. After GRASSI and SANDIAS. 



Classes of Termites. In general, four kinds of adults are 

 produced in a community of termites, namely workers, sol- 

 diers, winged males and winged females. 



The workers (Fig. 273, A), which are ordinarily the most 

 numerous, are of either sex, but their reproductive organs are 

 undeveloped. A worker-ant or bee, however, is always a 



