Marvels of the Universe 



509 



end. which is readily cut away when 

 the grub ultimately becomes a perfect 

 bee. 



Strange to say, the further trans- 

 formation of the insect is delaved 



until the succeeding yea.T. 



X^'hen the 

 grub has spun its cocoon it becomes 



quite 



throughout 

 changing 



I'holo &v] 



THE 



This wasp-iikt 

 cutting Bee grub, 

 creature, and — 



lllaroid Bastin. 



LEAF-CUTTING BEE PARASITE. 



to lay its eggs in the cocoon of the Leaf- 

 is successful, its progeny fe^i-d on the sleeping 



creature see 



If 



inert and lies enshrouded 

 the whole winter, only 

 to the pupa in the late 

 springtime, a few weeks prior to its 

 assumption of the perfect winged 

 state. The newly-formed pupa of a 

 bee is one of the most beautiful 

 natural objects with which I am 

 acquainted. It looks exactly as 

 though it had been carved out of 

 pure white ivory by an Oriental 

 craftsman. The \\'ings, legs and 

 antennae are folded close together upon the breast. Gradually, as development proceeds, the 

 various organs grow darker, colour appearing first in the eyes. Finally a delicate membrane 

 which envelops the whole insect is cast aside, and the perfect bee appears. 



It is a remarkable fact that the worst enemies of insects are insects. This is well illustrated by 

 the case of the Leaf-cutting Bee, for one of her most persistent foes is a near relative. It is known as 

 a CuckDO Bse, because its habits are not unlike those of the cuckoo among birds. It evades the 

 responsibiUties of parentage by means of a most dastardly trick. The mother Leaf-cutting Bee 

 forms her cell, prov^isions it, and lays her egg. She then goes off to cut the circular leaf-fragments 

 which are to cap the cell ; and the Cuckoo Bee, who has been waiting about with an out-of-work 

 sort of mien, suddenly becomes alert. She hurries into the leaf-cutter's tunnel and lays one of her 

 own eggs side by side with that of .the rightful owner. The usual result is that the Cuckoo grub 

 devours most of the food, while the grub of the Leaf-cutter pines and dies ; but a few instances are 

 recorded in which both grubs have developed into perfect insects In either case, the Cuckoo Bee 

 gets her offspring reared " free, gratis 

 and for nothing." 



Another insect enemy of the Leaf- 

 cutting Bee is a tiny wasp-hke 

 creature which contrives to lay its 

 eggs within the cocoon spun by the 

 full-fed grub ; and this time it is the 

 fat grub itself, not a hon's share of 

 the sweet pudding, that is the objec- 

 tive. The minute grubs of the para- 

 site fix upon the big sleeping tee-grub 

 like so many leeches, and suck, and 

 suck, and suck, until nothing but a 

 dry and empty skin remains. Each 

 is then transformed into a tiny pupa. 

 The accompanying photograph is of a . , , , „ l , , ,,,,,, „ , , 



^ -^ -• ^ -> ^ — instead ot the delicate chrysalis that should inhabit the cell, only the 



bee's cocoon with part of the side cut tiny chrysalides o( the robbers are to be found. 



