62 



CALIFORNIA STATE COMMISSION OP HORTICULTURE. 



beautiful, useful, and harmless of the insect tribe. It has no sting and 

 no means of defense, except in its rapid flight, and may be handled 

 with impunity by collectors. Aside from their work on mosquitoes, 

 members of this order have no interest to our orchardists. 



FIG. 56. Dragon-fly. Natural size. 



Order Pleeoptera (Stone-flies). These are insects having an incom- 

 plete metamorphosis, and which breed in great numbers in streams. 

 They are known as stone-flies from the fact that they take refuge under 

 stones in the streams, and are a favorite bait with anglers. Fish are 

 very fond of them, but aside from this they are of no economic impor- 

 tance. 



Order Isoptera includes the so-called white ants, or termites, which, 

 by the way, are not ants at all, nor even remotely connected with them. 

 Termites are very common insects in California, where they will be 



FIG. 57. Various forms of Termes lucifugus. A, adult worker; B, soldier; C, perfect 

 winged insect; D, perfect insect after shedding the wings; E, young comple- 

 mentary queen; F, older complementary queen. Enlarged. (After Grassi and 

 Sandias.) 



found working usually on decaying wood, but sometimes attacking grow- 

 ing trees just beneath the surface of the ground. They are not, how- 

 ever, seriously harmful, and while some damage is reported from their 

 attacks, this is not common. This order comprises some of the most 

 remarkable and interesting forms of insect life, and it may be well to 



