Tribe I.—Aculeata.
The Aculeata contains the great majority of the Hymenoptera. Their principal characteristic is that the ovipositor of the female in most of the groups is modified into a sting. The larvæ are footless grubs. This tribe is divided into four sections, which are again subdivided into seventeen families, each of which it is our intention to discuss in their proper order.
Section 1.—Anthophila.
Family 1, Aphidæ.—This family contains the numerous species of honey bees which are familiar to all of us. They are very varied in their structure, colours, and habits. Many species are social, while many others are solitary. The common Hive Bee (Apis mellifica) belongs to the former class. There is, perhaps, no insect which has attracted so much notice as this species. Volumes have been written respecting it, and philosophers in all ages of the world's history have spent their whole lifetime in the elucidation of its economy.
Fig. 7.—Megischus Annulator.
Fig. 8.—Apis Mellifica (Queen).
