APIARI^E. 131 



opmcnt. They then cut their way out, and are ready to assume 

 their duties as workers, small females, males or queens. 



"It is apparent that the irregular disposition of the cells is 

 due to their being constructed so peculiarly by the larvae. 

 After the first brood, composed of workers, has come forth, 

 the queen bee devotes her time principally to her duties at 

 home, the workers supplying the colony with honey and pollen. 

 As the queen continues prolific, more workers are added, and 

 the nest is rapidly enlarged. 



"About the middle of summer eggs are deposited which 

 produce both small females and males." . . . "All eggs laid 

 after the last of July produce the large females, or queens ; 

 and, the males being still in the nest, it is presumed that the 

 queens are impregnated at this time, as, on the approach of 

 cold weather, all except the queens, of which there are several in 

 each nest, die." (Putnam, Com. Essex Inst., vol. iv, p. 98, 1864.) 



Besides Apathus, the larvae of various moths consume the 

 honey and waxen cells ; the two-winged flies, Volucella and 

 Conops, and the larvae of what is either an Anthomyia or 

 Tachina-like fly ; several species of Anthrax, the Coleopterous 

 Anobium paniceum of Europe, Meloe, Stylops, and Anthero- 

 phagus ochraceus are parasitic on Humble-bees.* 



The habits of the genus Apathus are not clearly known, but 

 they are supposed to prey, in the larva state, upon the larvae of 

 Bombus, being found in their nests ; their habits, so far as 

 known, ally them with Nomada. The species are distinguished 

 by the tibiae being convex, instead of concave, as in Bombus, 

 while the mandibles of the females are acute, triangular, biclen- 

 tate, being spatulate and three-toothed in Bombus, and they 

 have no pollenigerous organs. There are males and females 

 only, as in all the remaining genera of the family. Apailius 

 Ashtonii (Plate 3, Fig. 1) is found in the Northern States. 



* EXPLANATION OF PLATE 3. Parasites of the Humble and Leaf-cutter Bees. 

 Fig. I, Apathus Ashtonii. Fig. 2, Nephopteryx Edmandsii; a, larva; b, pupa. Fig. 

 3, 3 a, Microgaster nephoptericis, an Ichneumon parasite of Nephopteryx. Fig. 4, 

 Antherophagus ochraceus. Fig. 5, Anthoinyinl larva; , side view. Fig. 6, Re- 

 cently hatched larva of Stylops Childrenii; a, side view. Fig. 7, larva; a, pupa of 

 Anthophorabia megachilis, a Chalcid parasite on Megachile. Fig. 8, Pteratomus 

 Putnamii, an exceedingly minute Proctotrupid fly, supposed to be parasitic on An- 

 thorphorabia megachilis ; a, a hind wing. Fig. 9, a Mite found in the nests of 

 Humble-bees. 



