THE SOCIAL GROUPS 29 



in respect of plan no two nests are exactly alike. 

 The humble bees again differ from either in 

 their nesting habits : the female in the spring 

 seeks out a mouse's nest or other suitable founda- 

 tion of moss, etc., in or on the surface of the 

 ground, according to the species. This she 

 lines with wax, deposits a heap of pollen, and 

 lays her eggs in it. She also makes waxen cells 

 for honey, but these are not hexagonal and 

 symmetrical as are those of the hive bee, but are 

 more like little pots, and are known as " honey 

 pots ". 



It must be borne in mind that the economic 

 arrangements of the wasps and humble bees 

 only last for a single season, whereas those of 

 the ant and hive bee exist for many years. In 

 consequence of this the swarming habits belong 

 exclusively to the ants and hive bee. That 

 of the hive bee is well known to all, and most 

 people must have observed the swarms of male 

 and female ants which fill the air on some sultry 

 summer or autumn evening. Thousands of 

 these must perish, but a certain number of the 

 females accept the responsibility of starting a 

 fresh nest, and so the ant population is kept up. 



