116 CALIFORNIA STATE COMMISSION OF HORTICULTURE. 



hornets, bees, and ants. These are divided into families as follows, 

 according to Comstock's classification: 



THE STINGING HYMENOPTERA. Suborder Aculeata. 

 The Pelecinus. Family PelecinidaB. 

 The Cuckoo-flies. Family Chrysididse. 

 The Ants. Superfamily Formicina. 



Family Formicidae. 



Family Poneridse. 



Family Myrmicidse. 

 The Digger Wasps. Superfamily Sphecina. 



The Velvet-ants. Family MutillidaB. 



The Scoliids. Family Scoliidae. 



The Sapygids. Family Sapygida?. 



The Spider-wasps. Family Pompilidae. 



The Thread-waisted Wasps. Family SphecidaB. 



The Ampulicids. Family AmpulicidaB. 



The Larrids. Family Larridse. 



The Bembecids. Family Bembecidae. 



The Nyssonids. Family Nyssonidae. 



The Philanthids. Family PhilanthidaB. 



The Mimesids. Family Mimesidse. 



The Mellinids. Family Mellinidse. 



The Pemphredonids. Family Pemphredonidas. 



The Crabronids. Family Crabronidaa. 

 The True Wasps. Superfamily Vespina. 



The Guest Wasps. Family MasaridaB. 



The Solitary Wasps. Family Eumenidse. 



The Social Wasps. Family Vespida?. 

 The Bees. Superfamily Apina. 



The Short-tongued Bees. Family Andrenidse. 



The Long-tongued Bees. Family Apidse. 



It is in this suborder that we find the fullest development of the 

 social instinct. With the social bees, wasps, and ants, every interest is 

 sacrificed for the good of the community. Here 



"None is for himself, 

 But all are for the state." 



None of the members of this suborder are of direct importance to us, 

 being beneficial only incidentally. The wasps are all predaceous, many 

 of them preying upon the larva? of injurious species, while the work of 

 the bees is too well known to need enlargement in these pages. Prob- 

 ably Ave owe more to this group for their work in the pollenization of 

 plants and fruits, perhaps in the cross-fertilization of species hybrid- 

 ization and probably even the production of new species, than for any 



