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True Bees — Part 14 — Part 2

It remains alive, as is evident from the fact that its alimentary canal continues to work and excreta are emitted from the anus. In spite of all the precautions taken by the mother Laelius to assure herself of the complete paralyzing of her victim, occasionally this is not complete and after a few days the dermestid larva molts. In such cases, of course, the eggs of the parasite perish. Mr. Busck found the phenomenon of parthenogenesis to occur with this insect, a virgin female in one instance having laid eggs which hatched and the larvae were reared to the adult condition, all of the individuals, as was quite to be expected, being males. The volume of the eggs laid by a single female is surprising. It lays more than twice its bulk in eggs. The female drinks water greedily and possibly takes other food. In confinement it will perish if left without water.

An undescribed Bethylid of the genus Goniozus in Kansas has a similar life history, according to Popenoe and Marlatt, but this one is of greater economic importance since it attacks the larvae of the codling moth--the worm so commonly found in apples. Just such a cluster of parasitic larvae as is described above was found by Marlatt upon an apple-worm in the interior of an apple.