THE TRUE BEES 



(Super-family Apoidea) 



This great group, comprising about five thousand species, in- 

 cludes all of the true bees, both the honey-gatherers which have 

 social communities and live a strict community life, and the 



solitary bees. We 

 have already seen 

 in thetable of super- 

 families that the 

 hind feet of these 

 insects are dilated 

 or thickened, and 

 that the hairs of the 

 head and thorax are 

 feathery. These pe- 

 culiar feathery hairs 

 are found only 

 in the true bees, 

 which also differ 

 from other Hymen- 

 optera by the pecu- 

 liar modification of 

 the mouth - parts 

 which are length- 

 ened into a struc- 

 ture which is almost 

 like a proboscis. 

 It is a very conspic- 

 uous organ and is 

 fitted in many of 

 them for probing 

 deep flowers and 

 for gathering nec- 

 tar. The mandi- 

 bles or upper jaws 



Fig. i.— Head and tongue of worker honey bee. 

 (Redrawn from Cheshire.) 



