346 AMERICAN POMOLOGY. 



immense numbers of the same pests. A few of these in- 

 sects are injurious; among them are the Wlaite-ants, 

 Wood-lice, and the Wood-ticks, which are annoying, 

 though they do not affect our crops. 



Of the Hymenoptera there are many which, in a per- 

 fect state, consume the juices of our choice fruits, as well 

 as the pollen and honey of flowers. Their services among 

 these last, as aids in fertilizing the germs, is often of great 

 importance to the fruit-grower. But, while acknowledg- 

 ing our gratitude to many for this service, and to the in- 

 dustrious bee for gathering abundant stores of the nectar- 

 ed sweets, we have a serious charge to bring against the 

 family for their depredations. The wasps especially are 

 often troublesome, particularly in the vineyard, and their 

 stings are annoying. Some ants are quite injurious. 



The larvae of some species are destructive as wood bor- 

 ers and as leaf-eaters, and others cause an excrescence or 

 warty growth upon the twigs and leaves where the eggs 

 have been deposited; these are called GaU-flies. The 

 great benefits rendered by a very large class of insects 

 in this order, however, may compensate for all the evil 

 done by the others. I refer to the tribe of Ichneumon- 

 flies of several genera. Some of these are very small, 

 and deposit their eggs within other insects, where they 

 hatch and destroy them by feeding upon their juices. 



Many of the wasps are predaceous, and destroy nume- 

 rous insects to feed their larvae. Some of these exercise a 

 wonderful instinct in preparing and securing this food for 

 their. young, which is stored up in safe caskets with the 

 egg, and are ready to serve as food to the young larvae. 



The Diptera^ or two-winged insects, form an extensive 



