INSECTS. 125 



larvse, and usually for the adult reproductive indi- 

 viduals as well. They also wage war against strange 

 intruders. 



Family : Apidae (Bees). 



The bees, by means of their very much elongated 

 mouth-parts (maxillae and lower lip or "tongue"), 

 collect honey from many different kinds of flowers. 

 Body somewhat unwieldy, usually hairy. The fore 

 wings are not, as in wasps, folded together longi- 

 tudinally when in a state of rest. Eyes round. The 

 legless, almost maggot-like larvae are fed with pollen 

 or with a mixture of pollen and honey. 



Most bees are colonial, and in these we find, besides 

 the reproductive individuals, workers which prepare 

 the nest. This is for the most part made up of 

 " cells," in the construction of which the most various 

 substances are used according to the species, e.g. wax, 

 sand grains, chewed wood, fragments of leaf. In each 

 nest there is at the same time only one queen, who 

 lays her eggs in the cells ; the larvae are therefore 

 developed in these cells, other cells serve for the 

 storage of pollen or honey. In the non-colonial bees 

 there are no workers; in a few of these species 

 (parasitic bees, cuckoo l3ees) the female lays her eggs 

 in the cells of other species, which, like foster parents, 

 undertake the care of the strange larvae. These 

 species are naturally devoid of the apparatus for 

 securing and carrying pollen. In several bees (honey 

 bees, bumblebees) this end is attained by the much- 

 broadened shanks and first, very large foot-joints of 

 the hind legs. Other bees (Megachile) carry pollen 

 on the under side of the abdomen. 



Bees play a very important part in the pollination 

 (fertilization) of many cultivated plants. 



The Honey Bee (Apis Tnellifica) cannot be spoken 

 of here J reference must be made to works on api- 

 culture. 



