754 CONNECTICUT GEOL. AND NAT. HIST. SURVEY. [BuU. 



apid;e. 



This family consists of the well known honey-bees and 

 bumble-bees. 



Key to Genera. 



1. Hind tibiae with two apical spurs 2 



Hind tibiae without apical spurs Apis p. 760 



2. Females and workers {' 3 



Males 5 



3. Hind tibiae more or less concave, bare, with hairs along the 



margin forming a pollen-basket or corbicula 4 



Hind tibiae convex, evenly hairy Psithyrus p. 759 



4. Ocelli above the narrowest part of the front, the lateral ones 



about as far from the eyes as from each other . .Bremus p. 754 

 Ocelli in the narrowest part of the front, the lateral ones 

 farther from each other than from the eyes .. ..Bombias p. 758 



5. Malar space about as long as wide; ocelli vertical, the lateral 



ones about as far from the eyes as from each other; third 



antennal joint shorter than the fifth 6 



Malar space much shorter than wide; ocelli frontal, the 

 lateral ones less than their diameter from the eyes; vertex 

 depressed, third antennal joint in length equalling or ex- 

 ceeding fifth Bombias p. 758 



6. Outer face of hind tibiae wth hair not much shorter than that 



of posterior border 7 



Outer face of hind tibiae bare or nearly so, posterior border 

 with long hair Bremus p. 754 



7. Vertex with black pubescence; a band of black pubescence 



between wings Bremus p. 754 



Vertex with yellow pubescence, or with most of its hair 

 black; with or without a band of black pubescence be- 

 tween wings Psithyrus p. 759 



Bremus Panzer. 

 Bombus Latreille. 

 To this and the succeeding genus belong the most conspicuous 

 of the local wild bees. These are usually called " bumble-bees/' 

 though in Europe there are species of Bremus that are called 

 " carder bees." All of them live in nests usually constructed 

 underground in meadows, pastures, and other localities, each nest 

 containing many workers, females, and males. Bumble-bees are 

 frequent visitors of various flowers and they store a small amount 

 of honey in a comb of few cells. The carder bees or carding bees 

 are so called owing to their interesting habit of carding and 

 plaiting the moss with which they build their nests. It is said 



