British Bees: An Introduction into the Studies of the Natural History and Economy of the Bees Indigenous to the British IslesShuckard, William Edward
Science
British Bees: An Introduction into the Studies of the Natural History and Economy of the Bees Indigenous to the British Isles
Shuckard, William Edward
Bees; Hymenoptera -- Great Britain
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.
This genus is named from the extreme hairiness of its posterior legs,
_ποῦς_, _hairy_, _ποûς, ποδὸς_, _foot or leg_. It is one of the most
elegant of our native bees, both in form and the extreme congruity of
its habiliment. This is unfortunately but a bridal raiment, for almost
as soon as the arduous duties of maternity supervene these bright
garments fade, and the workday suit immediately shows the wear and tear
produced by the labours of life. The male flaunts about longer in the
freshness of his attire, but he is usually the assiduous companion of
his spouse, although he does not participate in her toils. They are late
summer insects, and form their burrows upon banks having a southern
aspect; these they excavate deeper than does _Andrena_, and smooth and
polish them internally. They generally prefer spots intertangled with
shrubs, and at the mouth of the cylinder they tunnel they heap up the
extracted soil, to use a portion for closing it when their task is
accomplished. In the course of this process, especially if a cloud pass
over the sun, they will come forward to the aperture. They collect large
quantities of pollen, for which the hair upon their posterior tibiæ and
plantæ is excellently well adapted both by its length and the additional
storing power it possesses in each individual hair being spirally
twisted, although they are unprovided with the furniture of hair upon
the femora and coxæ found in the genus _Andrenæ_. Thus nature likes to
vary its mode of accomplishing the same object. The details of their
nursery processes are not known. For their protection their sting is
very virulent, and also actively employed, as they have many enemies,
especially amongst the fossorial _Hymenoptera_, whom they stoutly resist
to the extent of their strength. We are not aware of any special
parasites that infest them. They are semi-gregarious in their habits,
for where they occur any quantity of them may be taken. They are found
in their season in the southern counties, the Isle of Wight, and in
several parts of Kent and its eastern coast, and even as near London as
Charlton. They seem to prefer the composite flowers, having a great
liking for the bastard Hawkweed and the Dandelion. A fine series of them
forms a great ornament to a collection.
-------
Subfamily 2. APIDÆ (Normal Bees), _Latreille_.
_Syn._ APIS, _Kirby_.
_Tongue always folded back in repose._
_Maxillary palpi varying in the number of the joints._
Section 1. _Solitary._
Subsection 1. SCOPULIPEDES (brush-legged).
a. _Femoriferæ_ (collectors on entire leg).
† _With two submarginal cells to the wings._
Genus 9. PANURGUS, _Panzer_.
(Plate VI. fig. 1 ♂♀.)
APIS * _a_, _Kirby_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account