78 A DREADFUL PARASITE 



great hole which he inhabited open ; he is 

 provided with wings, and I have more than 

 once caught one flying in the open but to 

 return to our afflicted bee. This may be 

 attacked in either sex, and by one to five of 

 the parasites. I have specimens myself with 

 four parasites in them, and a case of five has been 

 recorded. Mr. R. C. L. Perkins, writing on this 

 subject, says : "On removing the integument 

 dorsally from the bee, the large body of the 

 female parasite will be seen lying above the 



FIG. 22. 

 Stylops larva in abdominal cavity : after Perez. 



viscera, often almost entirely concealing them ". 

 If this is the condition of a bee nourishing only 

 one parasite, I must leave it to my readers to 

 imagine the state of the poor wretch who is 

 supporting five ! The outward appearance of 

 one with several parasites is generally much 

 distorted ; the abdomen is very much inflated, 

 and the poor creature is unable to fly any dis- 



