figures shown in Ta'ble XYll, together with the results 

 of additional ohservations made at Pullman, it seems 

 evident that the domestic honeyhees do not ordinarily trip 

 more than about one percent, or less of the flowers that 

 they visit . 



The reason why the Mega chi le species of wild hees 

 trip so much larger proportion of the flowers which they 

 visit than the domestic "bees, is apparentlj^ due chf^fly to 

 the difference in the way that they reach down to the 

 honey secretion with their prohosces. 



These two kinds of hees are about the same size, and 

 have prohosces of about the same length. The bees of the 

 Megachi le species reach down directly along the central 

 portion of the standard, and have to push the standard 

 and wing petals apart, to some extent, in order to get to 

 the honey. The force which they exert when obtaining the 

 honey seems to be sufficient to release the rechanism of 

 the flower which holds the pistil and stamens in place, 

 and the flower becomes tripped. The domestic honeybees 

 extend their probosces down to the honey secretion from. 

 one side of the central part of the flower. The distance 

 which they have to reach is less than the distance which 

 the bees of the Megachile species have to reach; it is not 

 necessary for the domestic honeybees to force the petals 

 apart to a great extent, and consequently only a very 

 small proportion of the flowers that they visit are tripped 



(46) 



