LONELY INSECTS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 25 July 1924, Page 6

LONELY INSECTS.

CAN LIVE ONLY WITH COMPANIONS. Certain species of insects, .whose life is passed in the closest company of their fellows, have so strong a “social sense” that they cannot live alone, says a correspondent of the. Manchester Guardian. 3 The observer of bees, for instance, has'known for a long time that bees which are taken from the hive and segregated soon perish, even when they haye abundance of honey and are very well cared for. They cannot long survive the separation from their fellows Several experiments of this kind have been made with bees, humble-bees, and wasps. Bees placed singly or in pairs m receptacles of various kinds, and under the most fovourable conditions , one to five days. No difference cauld be observed whether’ the bees were young or full-grown. Workers-or humble-bees or wasps kept under 'the same conditions died almost a s quickly On the other hand, animals of a similar kind, who have not the same dependence on a social life, could be kept alive under such conditions for weeks, this is the case, for instance, with female humble-bees and wasps who have just survived the winter and are just about to pass to nest-building, or with allied species who habitually live alone such as solitary bees. ’ It has now been established that the death of these socially-minded insects is not caused so much by their being aione as their being deprived of their building and nursing activities. Ants kept singly haye been known to live for .weeks, provided they have opportunity to tend their young and If earth is at their disposal for building purposes. If one of these i s absent their Ute is considerably shortened: if both are absent, they die in a few days, even when kept in companies of two or four individuals. A further circumstance which shortens the life of bees is the absence of a queen. This seems to have a similar effect, also, on communities of bees, humble-hees, and wasps.