14 The Honey-Makers 



The Hymenoptera form a large Order, tens of thousands 

 of species having been described and named, and these are 

 a comparatively small part of those still unknown. 



The members of the Hymenoptera are characterized by 

 having four membranous wings, furnished with comparatively 

 few or no transverse veins. The hind wings are smaller 

 than the fore wings. The mouth parts are formed for 

 biting and sucking. The abdomen in the females is usually 

 furnished with a sting, piercer, or saw. The metamorphosis 

 is complete. 



The Hymenoptera may be divided into two parts, — those 

 with instruments for boring, and those with stings. 



The saw-flies, gall-flies, and a host of insects that lay their 

 eggs in the bodies or eggs of other insects belong to the 

 boring Hymenoptera, while to those bearing stings, known as 

 the Aculeata, belong our well-known bees, ants, and wasps. 

 These do not employ their piercing instruments for 

 boring, but for quite another purpose. They are stinging 

 insects, having a poison-bag connected with the sting. The 

 poison was probably used originally in obtaining food for 

 the young, as it still is among the wasps. Wasps do not 

 kill the insects they sting, but paralyze them and keep them 

 alive and fresh as food for their larvse. This was probably 

 the office of the bee's sting originally ; but if this was so, 

 time has so modified the insect that the sting is now no 

 longer used to provision the nest, but has been turned to 

 account in defending it. 



Some bees have no stings at all, but such as have use 

 them in defence only. 



The family of bees is a large one, and is naturally divided 

 into two parts, — the short-tongued bees and .the long- 

 tongued ones, or the Apidae. Among the Apidae, or honey- 

 gathering bees, there are a number of genera, chief among 

 which is the genus Apis, to which our honey-bee belongs. 



