300 MANUAL OF THE APIARY. 



they bear it to some perch near by, when they pierce the 

 •crust, suck out the juices, and drop the carcass, and are then 

 ready to repeat the operation. A hole in the bee shows the 

 cause of its sudden taking off. The eviscerated bee is not 

 always killed at once by this rude onslaught, but often can 

 crawl some distance away from where it falls, before it expires. 



Another insect nearly as common is the Mallophora honv- 

 boides, Wied. This fly might be called a larger edition of the 

 one just described, as in form, habits and appearance, it closely 

 resembles the other. It belongs to the same genus, possess- 

 ing all the generic characters already pointed out. It is very 

 difficult to capture them, as they are so quick and active. 



This fly is one and five-sixteenths inches long, and expands 

 two and a half inches. The head and thorax are much as in 



Fig. 130. 



the other species, The wings are very long and strong, and, 

 as in the other species, are of a smoky brown color. The 

 abdomen is short, pointed, concave from side to side on the 

 under surface,while the grayish yellow hairs are abundant on 

 the legs and whole under portion of the body. The color is 

 a lighter yellow than in the other species. These insects are 

 powerfully built, and if they become numerous, must prove a 

 formidable enemy to the bees. 



Another insect very common and destructive in Georgia, 

 though it closely resembles the two just described, is of a 

 different genus. It is the Laphria thoraeica of Fabricius. 

 In this genus the third vein is forked, and the third joint of 

 the antenna is without the bristle, though it is elongated and 

 tapering. The insect is black, with yellow hair covering the 

 upper surface of the thorax. The abdomen is wholly black 

 both above and below, though the legs have yellow hairs on 

 the femurs and tibia. This insect belongs to the same family 

 as the others, and has the same habits. It is found North as 

 well as South. 



