
















499 

COLEOPTERA. 
lance of the females by a month. As the bees come out of their 
nests, these larvee hook themselves on to their hairs, and pass from 
them to the females, at the coupling period. When the male 
bees have built the cells, and furnished them with honey, the 
female, as we know, deposits in each an egg. Immediately 
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Fig. 543.—Sitaris humeralis. Fig, 544,—First larva of Sitaris humeralis 
(magnified.) 
the larve of the Sitaris let themselves fall on these eggs, 
jopen them and suck their contents: Then they change their 
skin, and the second larva appears. This one gets into the honey, 
on which it feeds for six weeks. It is blind, whereas the first 
larva was provided with four eyes, no doubt to enable it to see 

Fig. 545.—Pseudo-nymph Fig. 546.—Third larva of Sitaris Fig. 547.—Pupa of Sitaris 
of Sitaris humeralis. humeralis. humeralis. 
§ the bees which were to serve as its conductors, in like manner as 
the companions of Ulysses watched the sheep of Polyphemus, so 
as to escape out of the cave in which they were retained as prisoners. 
A few days later, and this second larva contracts, and detaches 
from its body a transparent skin, which discloses a mass, at first 
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