The Last Stage of Insects, 8i 



of larvae change to pupae at once, the last brood, though 

 the weather be just as hot, wait over inside the cocoon till 

 the warm days of coming spring. 



THE IMAGO STAGE. 



This term refers to the last or winged form, and was 

 given by Linnaeus because the image of the insect is now 

 real and not masked as when in the larva state. Now the 

 insect has its full-formed legs and wings, its compound eyes, 

 often complex mouth-parts — a few insects, like the bot-flies, 

 have no mouth organs — and the fully developed sex-organs. 

 In fact, the whole purpose of the insect now seems to be 

 to reproduce itself. Many insects do not even eat, only 

 flit in merry marriage mood for a brief space, when the 

 male flees this life to be quickly followed by the female, 

 she only waiting to place her eggs where the prospective 

 infants may find suitable food. Some insects not only place 

 their eggs, but feed and care for their young, as do ants, 

 wasps and bees. Again as in case of some species of ants 

 and bees, abortive females perform all, or most of the labor 

 in caring for the young. The life of the imago also varies 

 much as to duration. Some imagos live but for a day, others 

 make merry for several days, while a few species live for 

 months. Very few imagos survive the whole year. The 

 queen bee may live for five years, and Lubbock has queen 

 ants which are thirteen years old. 



INCOMPLETE TRANSFORMATION. 



Some insects like the bugs, lice, grasshoppers, and locusts 

 are quite alike at all stages of growth, after leaving the 

 &^^. The only apparent difference is the smaller size and 

 the absence or incomplete development of the wings in the 

 larvaj and pupae. The habits and structure from first to 

 last seem to be much the same. Here, as before, the full 

 development of the sex-organs occurs only in the imago. 



