Economic entomology for the farmer Economic entomology for the farmer and the fruit grower, and for use as a text-book in agricultural schools and colleges; economicentomol00smit Year: 1906 348 AN ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY. Fig. 399. vestiture is confined to the thorax or trunk, and such species are sometimes of use in pollenizing flowers. I have found several species about fruit-blossoms in spring, moving from flower to flower, and, adhering to the vestiture, I have found pollen grains in considerable number ; so the insects are probably of some importance in this direction. We have one very large
Economic entomology for the farmer Economic entomology for the farmer and the fruit grower, and for use as a text-book in agricultural schools and colleges; economicentomol00smit Year: 1906 348 AN ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY. Fig. 399. vestiture is confined to the thorax or trunk, and such species are sometimes of use in pollenizing flowers. I have found several species about fruit-blossoms in spring, moving from flower to flower, and, adhering to the vestiture, I have found pollen grains in considerable number ; so the insects are probably of some importance in this direction. We have one very large species, Eristalis ienax, appearing late in fall, often in houses, and so closely resembling a honey-bee as to be generally mistaken for one ; for which reason it has been called the ' drone-fly.' It is frequent in greenhouses about the time that chrysanthemums are in bloom, and gardeners have assured me that pollen- izing this flower is done by it entirely ; hence they call it '' chrysanthemum fly.' It is not at all unlikely that this is the case ; indeed, it is even proba- ble, though sufficiently direct observa- tions have not as yet been made in the matter. In this connection it is inter- esting to find that the body vestiture of the Syrphids is often composed of spurred and branched hair, similar to that found in bees, and in the 'drone- fly' ' this character is especially marked. As widely divergent as the flies themselves are the larvae and their feeding habits. In fact, there is no sort of agreement; and while some are pre- daceous, feeding upon plant-lice or other insects, many feed in living or decaying vegetable substances, or in the foulest excrementitious material. Those forms that most concern the agri- culturist are the feeders on plant-lice, and these may be found at almost any time during the summer in almost every aphid colony, busily engaged in lessening its numbers. The larvae are easily overlooked, as they are usually green or yel- lowish in color, like th
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