THE HUMBLE-BEE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1 9 



The rate of increase of the humble-bee has been so great in this 

 colony, that the question has arisen in my mind as to whether they 

 will not become as serious a nuisance as far as honey is concerned, as 

 the rabbit has proved to the farmer and squatter. This may seem to 

 be an improbability to many persons who have never seriously con- 

 sidered the matter, especially as humble-bees do not visit many of the 

 flowers which supply nectar to the hive-bee. But the fact remains 

 that in those districts where the former have been very abundant the 

 supply of honey has enormously diminished during the last two 

 seasons, and many skilled bee-keepers are beginning to attribute a 

 considerable share at least of this falling off to the humble-bees. To 

 see how far these insects are adapting themselves to new flowers, I 

 have for a considerable time past kept a record of the flowers which 

 they visit, and those which they leave alone. I have noticed them on 

 many species of introduced plants which they never appear to visit in 

 Europe, and it will be interesting to note whether with increased 

 numbers they are extending their search for nectar to flowers at 

 present neglected by them. Two facts have particularly struck me 

 in this connection. One is that they seldom visit white flowers ; I 

 know only about half-a-dozen altogether, though on some of these, 

 like Plums, Cherries and Pears they are to be found very abundantly. 

 The other is that with two exceptions I have never heard of them 

 visiting the flowers of indigenous plants. The exceptions are Fuchsia 

 excorticata which they appear frequently to visit, and the Ngaio 

 (Myoporum Icetum) on which they have been seen by Mr. A. S. 

 Fleming, of Palmerston S.* 



Another curious fact about them is that in one district they will 

 absolutely neglect flowers which they frequent in another part. 

 Many observers credit certain flowers with intoxicating the bees, but 

 as the flowers recorded by one are not so credited by others, the 

 question of so-called intoxication must be looked upon as quite 

 unsettled, and is worthy of investigation, Again, in one part the 

 bees pierce the tubes of certain flowers which, in another neighbour- 

 hood, sometimes only three or four miles away, they visit legitimately. 

 I have thought it worth while here to give a complete list of the 

 flowers — all introduced but the above two — on which I have observed 

 humble-bees, or have trustworthy records of their visits. Under the 

 various flowers I have made remarks which occur to me as bearing on 

 the question. Such a minute attention to details may appear to 

 some unnecessary, but it must be remembered that what may prove 

 to be a biological problem of great ultimate interest is here being 

 worked out before our eyes, and as we have the commencement of it 

 within our observation now, it would be a mistake to allow any detail 

 however apparently insignificant to escape attention. To facilitate 

 reference I have arranged the flowers noted here according to their 

 natural orders. 



Ranunculace.se. 



Anemone — single red, blue and parti-coloured hybrids; occa- 

 sionally visited. 



Delphinium — blue hybrids, and also on Annual Larkspurs. 

 Aquilegia — hybrids. I have seen them on Columbines of 



* Within the last day or two (Dec. 26th) I have seen small bees on Veronica clliptica. 



