Insects abroad : being a popular account of foreign insects, their structure, habits, and transformations . Via. 274.—Halietus quadristrigatus.(Black and yellow.) 508 INSECTS ABROAD. Andrena bee. Mr. Smiths description of these singular parasitesis very interesting :— These insects are diminutive in size, the largest knownspecies not exceeding a quarter of an inch in length. We arenow speaking of the winged males, the females being apterous,grub-like insects, which never leave the bodies of the bees. Ifthe abdomens of a number of Andrenidee be examined, it ismost probable that the female of St
Insects abroad : being a popular account of foreign insects, their structure, habits, and transformations . Via. 274.—Halietus quadristrigatus.(Black and yellow.) 508 INSECTS ABROAD. Andrena bee. Mr. Smiths description of these singular parasitesis very interesting :— These insects are diminutive in size, the largest knownspecies not exceeding a quarter of an inch in length. We arenow speaking of the winged males, the females being apterous,grub-like insects, which never leave the bodies of the bees. Ifthe abdomens of a number of Andrenidee be examined, it ismost probable that the female of Stylops will be found. Herpresence is known by the protrusion of her head, and a portionof the thorax between the abdominal segments on their superiorsurface resembling the point of a small bud of a brown colour,or rather, a flattened Fig. 275.—Ainlrrnn holoiuelaua. (Shining black.) I have several times bred the larvae of the Stylops in thefollowing manner:—On finding a bee infested as described,place her in a box five or six inches square, cover it with gauze,and supply the bee with fresh flowers such as the Andrenidaafrequent. Examine the bee every day, and it is most likely thatin eight or ten days she will appear as if her abdomen werecovered with dust. Examine it, and in all probability she willbe found to be covered with an innumerable quantity of exceed-ingly minute animals ; these are the larvae of Stylops. By the aid of a magnifying-glass they may be seen to issuefrom the transverse aperture on the thorax. When the bee re-enters the cell, or settles upon flowers, these diminutive creatureswill of course be deposited, and by these means, when other DEVELOPMENT OF THE STYLOPS. 509 bees visit the flowers, they attach themselves to thern, and arecarried to their nests. Judging from the multitude of larvae
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectinsects, bookyear1883
