HYMENOPTERA 



269 



The majority of the Long-tongued bees (Apidae) are solitary and 



have most diverse nesting habits : some make their cells in the 

 ground, as do the miners ; others are potters, and 

 fashion nests of mud, which are attached to the 

 stems of plants ; some are carpenters, boring holes 

 in wood ; while some go so far as to upholster 

 their nests with neatly cut pieces of leaves, with 

 which the cells are lined and covered. The leaf- 

 cutter bees are peculiarly interesting forms, though 

 of no particular economic importance. They bore 

 a hole in soft or decaying wood, in the bottom of 

 which is deftly fitted a piece of a leaf, rose leaves 

 being commonly used, so as to make a thimblelike 

 cup. In this the pollen and nectar are placed and 

 an egg is laid, and then a circular-shaped piece of 

 leaf is jammed down so as to make a tight wad 

 over the cell, and another similar cell is made 

 above it. The circular areas cut from rose leaves 

 by these bees may frequently be noticed. Others 

 are known as carpenter-bees, making their nests 

 in wood. The smaller carpenter-bee (Ceratina 

 dupld) inhabits the dead stems of sumac or the 

 hollow stems of other plants, which are cleaned 

 out and used over again by the young. Several 

 cells are made and separated by little chips. When 



the tunnel is full, the female waits for her children to grow up. 



" The lower one hatches first," says Professor Comstock, " and after 



it has attained its 



growth, it tears down 



the partition above 



it, and then waits 



patiently for the one 



above to do the same. 



Finally, after the last 



one in the top cell has 



matured, the mother 



leads forth her full- 

 fledged family in a 



FIG. 429. Nest 



of carpenter-bee. 



(Reduced) 



(After Jordan and 

 Kellogg) 



FIG. 430. a, carpenter-bee (Xylocopa Carolina Linn.) ; 

 ^, first segment of hind tarsus ; c, same of bumble-bee 



(After Walsh) 



