Insects, 587 



Descriptions of the British Wasp- Bees, (Nomada of authors). 

 By Frederick Smith, Esq., Curator to the Entomological Society. 



Of all the genera of British bees this I apprehend will be univer- 

 sally admitted to contain the most beautiful species : their gay color- 

 ing renders them favorites with the Hymenopterist, whilst the yet 

 incomplete history of their economy leaves open an unexplored path 

 to many highly interesting discoveries. Mr. Kirby says " their his- 

 tory, economy and mode of nidification remains a secret ; " and, in 

 1832, Mr. Curtis repeats that nothing is known of their economy.* 

 In 1840 Mr. Westwood remarks, "Of their precise habits, however, 

 we are without decisive information. It has been considered by most 

 entomologists that they are parasitic upon other bees ; and Mr. 

 Shuckard conjectures that they infest not only the nests of several 

 species of Andrena, but also those of Eucera." In the month of June, 

 1840, I discovered an extensive colony of the long-horned bee, (Eu- 

 cera longicornis) ; I found the Nomada Schaefferella in great abundance 

 issuing from and entering the burrows of Eucera. It has been stated 

 that parasitic bees either introduce their eggs with much artifice into 

 the provisioned nests of other bees, or that some species, by their 

 close resemblance, enter unobserved by the rightful owners. An at- 

 tentive observation of the colony above mentioned disproves the first 

 position ; here no artifice was used, — the bees and the parasites ho- 

 vered about the nests in the most amicable manner ; occasionally a 

 bee would enter its burrow, then perhaps a Nomada would follow, and 

 after a few moments again reappear ; at other times the Nomada 

 would enter first ; upon the Eucera finding the intruder in its nest, no 

 anger was exhibited, but she quietly issued from her burrow and 

 waited her turn. The same observations were made on a colony of 

 Anthophora, upon which Melecta is parasitic. 



Amongst the solitary bees I know of no instance in which the pa- 

 rasite bears any resemblance to its more industrious provider : in 



* [In 1834 I included the genus Nomada in my natural order Apathites, thus 

 described. " The larva is hatched from an egg deposited in the nests of other bees 

 at the time when their own eggs are laid : when it hatches, being stronger and larger 

 than the rightful possessor of the cell, it consumes the food of its companion, and 

 starves it to death ; and in those instances in which fresh supplies of food are daily 

 provided, it continues to receive and appropriate them as its own ; * * * imago 

 * * * enters the nests of other bees with perfect familiarity, and seems to be quite 

 unsuspected of intrusion.'' — ' Entomological Magazine,' ii. 404. See also ' Familiar 

 Introduction,' p. 237— #. A 7 .] 



Q2 



