^ 



//^y 



1864. 



THE COUNTRY GENTLEMAN. 



63 



Site (giitomalogisit. 



►•-. 



CFor tlie Country Oentlemnn and CuitlTAtor.] 

 No. 35— THE NEBRASKA BEE-KILLER. 



R. O. TrioMPSON, Esq., in a note dated Nursery Hill, 

 Otoe Go., Nebraska, June 28tli, says ; — I send jou to- 

 day four insects or animals that are very destructive 

 to the Honey Bee, killing a great number of them, and 

 also of the Kose Bugs. What are they 1 Is it the male 

 or the female that has the three-pronged sting ? Please 

 answer in the Co. Oent., as many wish to know what 

 this Bee-killer is?" 



The specimens, two of each sex, laid between pled- 

 gets of cotton wool, in a small pasteboard box, and 

 forwarded by mail, came to hand in good condition, 

 admitting of a very satisfactory examination. They 

 are a large two-winged fly, having a long and ratlier 

 slender and tapering body, about an inch in length, with 

 email three-jointed antenna;, the last joint being shorts 

 er than the first, and giving out from its end and not 

 from its side, a slender bristle. The ends of its feet 

 are furnished on the under side with two cushion like 

 soles, and the crown of its head is hollowed out 

 or concave, and in tliLs hollow is seen three little 

 glassy dots or eyelets. These characters show it to 

 pertain to the Order Diptera, and to the group which 

 Linnaeus a century ago separated as a genus, under 

 the name Atdlus, but which is now divided into seve- 

 ral genera, forming the Family Asilid^b. On insjiect- 

 ing its wings, we see the two veins, whic3i end one on 

 each side of the tip of the wing, are perfect and un- 

 broken, and towards the middle of the outer one they 

 are connected together by a small veiulet or short 

 transverse vein. This indicates these flies to pertain 

 to the genus named I'rupanea by Macquart. 



About a half dozen species, inhabiting the United 

 States, and pertaining to this genus, have been des- 

 cribed by Wiedemann, Say and others. This Nebras- 

 ka fly appears to be different from either of those, and 

 I am therefore led to regard it as a new insect, hitherto 

 unkno%vn to the world. And a more api)ropriate name 

 cannot be given it than that by whichit is called by Mr. 

 Thompson anil his neighbors, the Bee-killer or Tfujin- 

 nca Apivora. The. general definition of this species, 

 or its brief essential characters, will be, that it is dull 

 black with the head yellow, the fore body butternut 

 brown, the hind body on its under side and the legs 

 pale dull yellow, the thighs being black on their fore- 

 sides, and it is coated over with hairs which are gray 

 in the female and grayish yellow in the male, the end 

 of the body in the latter sex having a conspicuous sil- 

 very white spot. 



In this AsJIus group of flies the si)ecies are separated 

 from each other bj marks which arc often very slight 

 and obscure. It is therefore important that a detailed 

 description of these Nebraska flies should here be* 

 given, that they may not be confounded with any oth- 

 er species which may be closely similar to them. 



They nieflBurc, to the end of the wings, 0.8,'> to 1 inch and to 

 the end oj thebodyjO.ilS to 1 J5, the males heiiij.' nithcr Biniiller 



*' '""''' '"" *"' '" ^' ' " * liapud like a 



•X in front. 

 t space 



male, niid Era;i' in the female. On the sides and hencath the 

 ground culiir m dull yellow- in the nnile and gray in the fcinale. 

 and clothed wilh i;riiy hiilrs In both se.xe9. The two last i^c^'- 

 n)unti\ the ei<;htli and ninth, are confpicnoiialy protruded, 

 making two or three iin)re pcgmenla than are usually vjgUije 

 externally in iimecta. In the female these Besments taper to 

 an acute point, and arc black and shining. In the male ihev 

 appear like a cylindrical tube, with a prnlcclins valve nndef- 

 iieatli at tile base, and are coaled over with dull -yellow hairs, 

 and on the upper Hide wilh silvery white ones, pressed to the 

 surface, and !brtnin.ij a conspicuous oblong spot of this color, 

 which is tno-lubedo notched nt its end. .\iid In tlie dead 

 specimens befure ine three I>rl8llc-likc processes, over a tenth 

 of an inch iu length, of a tawny yellow color, polished ami 

 shining, pi-oject ft-um the blunt end of the body. These are 

 termed a three-pronged sting in tlie above letter. But the inag- 

 nil>ing glass shows ihev are abrui>ilv cut otl' at iheir ends, and 

 do not taper tu a sliai|i |)c)iiit ciipiilile nt nii-rring the human 

 skin. The i-eos mr 1<mil' mucI sl„nl, aiirt nl' a pal.-, cinll yellow- 

 ish color. Toe thi-lia in Hie males nreclieaiiuu brown, and on 

 thelranterlor side!-' iliey are dull lilaek iu both se.tes, the hind 

 l)air being entirely black, except a stripe of dull yellowish along 

 the under side. Tiie hind shanks also aio ft-equenlly black on 

 their anterior sides. Tlie legs are covered with gray hairs and 

 have several black bristles in rows ninning li-ii.'trnvise. In llie 

 males the lour niitirior hlianka and lent liuve llict liairs vellow 

 and (Ml llie r.-.'l 111.- iM-i^ll.-s al-d me ul this i-oiiir. Thc'wiNO 

 : ion^' Mini iKin.iu , mill in ii-pose an- laid II il. one upon th' 



3lla 



brow 



1 teclii 



'I'l 



'il III. 



'III. 



. (ii the 

 I .wish 

 «iiich 



ids Iu 



.•\loiig tlie 



1 111., w 

 ng quii 



than the females. " The ukad Is short and broa'd. 



its summltor crown is deeply excavated, leaving a 



between the upper nart of the eyes. In the middle of which 

 cavation is the ocelli or eyelets, appearing like three black 

 glassy dots placed at the corners of a triangle. The ground 

 All the face below the antennic is 

 niing a moustache of light vellow 

 black liristles nt the mouth, and on 

 viilovvish gray color. The base of 

 'irnied of radiating "ray hairs, and 



color of the head is yellow, 

 covered with 1 - ■ - 

 color, with a tl 

 each side are u 



the head has a _„ „.„...,;, «,„j „„.,„ „„,. 



beliind the upui-r part of eaeli eye is a row of black bristles. 

 The eyes are large and jirotuberant, occupying two-thirds of 

 the surface of the head, and are nnely reticulated or divided in- 

 to an immense mtmber of niinnte facets. The anteumc are in- 

 serted at the anterior odsjo of the excavation in the crown of 

 the head. 1 hey are small, scarcely reacliing to the base of the 

 head if tamed baikwnrd. Tiiey are black and composed of 

 three joints, the first one longest and cyllndric, the second 

 shortest and ohconic, the third thickest and egg-shaped, its 

 apex ending 111 a iiristle, which is about equal to the nntenme 

 In length, and is slightly more slender towards its tin. where it 



•'"'•• •""° " '""" "■'"' --' Tlic trunk or proiiosci; is as long 



lit from the bristles of the 



beci 

 «s t 

 face. 



I a little thickened. 

 Jiead, its cud projecliiig 



r 11 ■ inhi., ofa hard crustace- 

 'I I ilii- cml, with a fringe 

 !' I imi-ii the tongue pro- 

 I .1 111.- trunk, sharp pointed, 

 ""1"', hard, shining and bliiek. 

 the broadest part of the insect, and 



It appears like a I 

 ons texture, black and i-li 

 of hairs around the orilir 

 trudes from the orifice in 

 and like tlie blade of a lai 



The THOiux or forebody , „.,. „„. , „. „.„ „„„, „„„ 



: ofa short oval form, with bluntly rounded ends. It is of a 

 tarnished yellowish brown, or huttermit color with two faint 

 gray stripes along tlie middle of the buck, nlternntiiig with three 

 reHnrfv .'[Jin".""""'- »'"^ i'"""'"'' "'"' '""«'' ''aire, and pos- 

 b.h (JirJ''.'"-"S>''"",^\'"'' -'"* '""■'■ "'"Chare interspefsed 

 with Mack bristles. The M.oi,.iKN, or hind bodv. is long, 

 elender and tapering from ii» i„u,e i„ the male, and is more 

 broad and somewliat llattened in the female. It is black above 

 «ad covered with prostrata hairs, which arc dull yellow In tUo 



iM-4, liir Iw.i ihiiil- iif its 

 I., iiiln-ow, wilh ilsoppo- 

 lirb loi-nis the boundary 

 ■oi inis cell on II-* outer suie, is a pen:(-|>tible sniokine^is. whicll 

 is not seen along the sides of the otliei- veins. Tliis vi-iii is 

 siijrlitiy bent in the form ofa bow, iwu-iliinls iho l.-ngili of the 

 cell, when it abruptly curves in tlie oiiposite tiiri-t-iioii. and is 

 then straight the remainder of its ien^'lb. A vciniet connects it to 

 the next longitHdinal vein, thus forming between the anterior 

 portions of these two veins a third submarglnal cell, which is 

 very long and narrow. 



Tlic arrangement of the veins in the wings, form- 

 ing three subraarginal cells as above described, induces 

 me to refer this species without hesitation to Mac- 

 quart's genus Trupanea, although the silvery white 

 spot on the tip of the male abdomen would indicate 

 it to pertain to the geuas Erax, as restricted by the 

 same author. 



The brief note of our correspondent gives us no 

 particular information upon the habits of these flies 

 or the manner in which they attack and kill the bees. 

 But the members of this Asilus group are all so simi- 

 lar in their habits that we are aware what the opera- 

 tions of this species will be. And some account of 

 the habits of these insects may be of sufficient interest 

 to the reader to be here related. 



These Asilus flics, like some others of our most 

 rapacious insects, particularly delight in the hot sun- 

 shine. One or two evidences of this may be here ad- 

 duced. 



Flies of this kind are rare in my vicinity. I su]>- 

 pose I might hunt for dave without being able to find 

 a living sriecimen. And I do not recollect to have 

 ever seen one of them, hitherto, about my house or 

 yard. Three days ago, however, when occupied in 

 preparing this account, I casually spread some damp 

 newspapers before my door to dry in the hot sun. On 

 stepping out to gather up these papers, I was most 

 agreeably surprised to see alighted upon one of them 

 and basking in the sun, what proves to bo a species of 

 Trupanea which I had never mot with before, and 

 which is closely like though probably distinct from 

 this Nebraska Bee-killer. The genial warmth reflect- 

 ed from the white surface of the paper lying in the 

 clear sun, had evidently attracted it to this unusual 

 situation. 



So late as the month of October, ten years ago, npon 

 a clear warm day, in a sunny nook upon the south 

 side of a forest I came upon quite a number of tlio 

 Erax rufibarlns, flying about and alighting upon the 

 leaves — a si)ecies I have never met with except in 

 that instance. They were warmed into such quick- 

 ness of motion, and were so extremely vigilant and 

 sliy of my ajiproach, that with my utmost skill I was 

 able to capture but two individuals which were im- 

 peded in their movements from being paired together. 

 I infer these Nebraska flies to bo common and far less 

 wary than the species alluded to — else our correspond- 

 ent would have been unable to secure two individuals 

 of each eex to transmit to us. And I 8u.spect these 

 specimens were obtained when they were copulated. 

 If so, it is probable that the three sting like bristles 

 which I have described above, are not protruded and 

 visible externally, except at such times. 



In flying, these insects make a very loud humming 

 sound, which can scarcely bo distinguished from that 

 of the bumble-bee ; and when involved within the 



folds of a net, tliey utter the same piping note of dis- 

 tress as docs that insect. This very probably contrib- 

 uted to impress our correspondent with the thought 

 that the three bristles which arc extruded by the mole 

 are a formidable three-pronged sting. 



Another fact which I do not see alluded to by any 

 author, is the fetid carrion-liko odor which somo of 

 these Asilus flies exhale. I noticed this odor in the 

 Erax rufibarbis which was captured as above related. 

 And iu these Nebraska specimens, though they have 

 now been dead a fortnight and freely exposed to the 

 air the latter half of that tiinc, this disgusting scent 

 still remains, and so powerful is it that on two occa- 

 sions nausea has been produced when they have hap- 

 pened to be left upon the table beside mo. As the 

 newly captured fly above mentioned i? wholly desti- 

 tute of this fetor, it may be that it is only at the period 

 of sexual intercourse that it occurs. 



These flies are inhuman murderers. They are the 

 savages of the insect world, putting their captives to 

 death with merciless cruelty. Their large eyes divid- 

 ed into such a multitude of facets, probably give 

 them most acute and accurate vision for espying and 

 seizing their prey ; and their long stout legs, their 

 bearded and bristly head, their whole ospect indicates 

 them to be of a predatory and ferocious character. 

 Like the hawk, they swoop upon their jirey, and 

 grasping it securely between their fore feet they vio- 

 lently bear it away. They have no teeth and jaws 

 wherewith to bite, gnaw, and masticate their food, 

 but are furnished instead wilh an apparatus which 

 answers them equally well for nourishing themselves. 

 It is well known what maddening pain the horse flies 

 occasion to horses and cattle in wounding them and 

 sucking their blood. These Asilus flics ]xissess simi- 

 lar organs, but larger and more simple in their struc- 

 ture, more firm, stout and powerlnl. In the horse 

 flies the trunk or proboscis is soft, flexible and sensi- 

 tive. Here it is hard and destitute of feeling — a largo, 

 tapering, hornlike tube, inclosing a sharp lance or 

 spcar-poiutcd tongue to dart out from its end and cut 

 a wound for it to enter, this end, moreover, being frin- 

 ged and bearded around with stiff bristles to bend 

 backward and tl-.us hold it securely in the wound into 

 ■which it is crowded. The proboscis of the horse flies 

 is tormenting, but this of the Asilus flies is torturing. 

 That presses its soft cusion-like lips to the wound to 

 suck the blood from it ; this crowds its hard prickly 

 knob into the wound, to pump the juices therefrom. 

 It is said these Asilus flies sometimes attack cattle and 

 horses, but other writers disbelieve this. Should any 

 of our Nebraska friends see one Of these Bee-killers 

 alighting upon and actually wounding horses or cattle, 

 we hope they will inform us of the fact, tliat this 

 mooted point may be definitely settled. Certain it is 

 that these flies nourish themselves principally upon 

 other insects, attacking all that they are sufl3ciently 

 large and strong to overpower. Even the hard crus- 

 taceous shell with which the beetles are covered, fails 

 to protect them from the butchery of these barbari- 

 ans. And formidably as the bee is equipped for pun- 

 ishing any intruder which ventures to molest it, it 

 here finds itself overmatched and its sting powerless 

 against the horny proboscis of its murderer. These 

 flies appear to be particularly prone to attack the bees. 

 Robineau Desvoidy states that he had repeatedly seen 

 the Asilus dimlcma, a Euro|)ean species somewhat 

 smaller than this of Nebraska, flying with a bee in its 

 hold. But it probably does not relish these more thon 

 it does other insects. We presume it to be because it 

 finds them in such abundance as enables it to make a 

 meal upon them most readily and with the least exer- 

 tion, that these Nebraska flies fall U|K)n the bees and 

 the rose bugs. And so large as they arc, a single one 

 will require perhaps a hundred bees per day for its 

 nourishment. If these flies are common, therefore, 

 they will inevitably occasion great losses to the bee- 

 keepers in that part of our country. 



No feasible mode of destroying this fly, or protect- 

 ing the bees from it, at present occurs to me. Indeed 

 such an accurate knowledge of the particular habits of 

 this species as we do not at present possess, is necessa- 

 ry to show iu what manner it can be most successfully 

 combatted. ASA FiTCH. 



Eaat Grconwloli, New-York, Jqly 18, 1861. 



