Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-30
THE SOCIAL INSECTS
Interesting and Curious Facts About
Bees and Ants.
MEETING OF The BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY
The Annual Address of the Presi-
dent, Prof. c v. Riley.
REFLECTIVE POWERS

IL L hEf ENIlN u POW ERS
The annual meeting of the Biological So
ciety held at the Columbian University
building last evening and was marked by
an exceedingly Interesting address by its
president, Prof. c. V. Riley, entomoloyist
o. the Department of Agriculture The
Ee3vy rain storm that prevailed during the
evening undoubtedly affected the attend
aace, but thcse who bravcd the weather
were well rewarded for SO doing. Prof
Riley prefaccd his address by saying that
for the special benefit of the public he
would omit the reading of the more tech
meal and detailed portions OF his annual
report. He said the word biology" was
virtually born within this century and was
first employed by Le.narck in 1901 as a
term under which the phenomena of or
ganic nature could be considered, and in
lSJe b. Treviranus to express the science
that treats CT the philosophy of living ma
tu-e. The term is now perhaps more cor
rectly applied to the study of the develop
mont OF the type in the past and OF the
Individual in the present-not by them
selves only bat in their relation to all other
forms Of life. Prof. Riley then sketched
brlely the objects Of the Biological Society
and said it was not surprising that its
members have very generally been inlbued
with the spirit and interpretations which
Darwin, the illustrious author of the "O-i-
gin of the Species" gave to the phenomena
OF life upon our planet; but he added that
they have not beea blind followers in that
or any other school
The Place of Heredfty.
'Cpcn the one great question, which more
than ANY other has occupied biologists OF
late years. namely, whether acquired char
acters are transmitted by heredity," he
said, there have been few more able con-
triDutions to the subject anywhere publish
ed than the papers and addresses of one
of my distinguished predecessors, Prof.
Lester +. Ward" The lecturer said that
the cioice OF his SUBJECT was IN no small
uesree determined by one OF Prof. WARDS
eoflissiCns tnaI the characters or neuse-s
among the SOCIAL insects offered the great
est s.umoiing block to the theory of the
here1ily or sucn acquired characters
Frof Riiey spoke or organized insect So
cle.leS ana Sad that the term social IN
sacn connection was mined strictly 10
those species or insects winch permanently
1--we tosesher IN coIonles anu IN which the
social habit. with its consequent subdi-
slsica OF labor and differentiation of indi-
vidaals, has become essenJiai to the Yer
petuation OF the species. In or1er to make
this point more Ineligible 10 the non-spec-
iaiist he illustrated 1t NTH several examples
Of bees ne said: Living in such y-eil
Organizes communities, exhipiung so much
inteilis ellce and yielding one CT the rncst
delicious sweets known, the honey or hive
pee mas attracted attention from the earli-
est times AMI ever Since Aristotle Virgil
and Colunelia told wnat was then known
Oh this Industrious insect il has been the
SUBJECT OF investigation. . There are
Some 3Uo,U1O of our citizens en-aved in hee
CULTURE and they add over s2Ousb1. 30 arnu
ally 70 the Geaitn or the county in honey
anu wax. This amount may BE- ana in Inc
near future doubtless will be, ve-v largely
increased 1t is, il Tact difficult to -ealiye
what an Immense aIlodnt OF honey is ya,t
Ell from lack OF bees to gather it and The
poet Gray would seem TO have had his own
iieas On thls SUBJECT when he wrote the
FAMILIAR lines:
'f'Gll many a flower is born to blush un-
Seen,
Ana waste its sweetness en- the desert air.
Fertilization Of Plants
The services directly rendered to man bv
bees. however, in supplying the products
! Ineaiionei i. are bat slight as compared with
the services Indirectly rendered by cross
fertilization of or cultivated plants and
1t has been estimated that the annual adj
dillon TO our wealth by bees in this direc
ten alone lar exceeds that derived from
ASaey and wax One of the earliest aefin;
hcns of queen bee was the sovereign of
swarm of bees In reality, however the
S0Nei2iaclt ot the hive is purely deroo
sf&uc Eaca WORKS for the common wei
ARE ahc only SO long as the individual
Mnethtr queen, crone or worker is yalua-
bic 10 the community is il spared The
queen is the only lee in the riye having
,'ie reprodacute Organs fully developed ana
Is, therefore, the mother OF all the Others
II the hive. two or three eggs being de-
posted during the more prolific season In
The Coarse CT "a minute, and orten as many
as 400 during twenty-four hours Thre,.
q lay-
matched. 1t is lhe Office of the Young yorn-
e-s h-oWh as Nurse bees, 10 furnish these
Young larvae with food, which they are as
sdGoas IN doing" The lecturer gave an
/ interesting accoUat oil the social organ MIA
! ton or bees, including economy OF hive ana
division Of labor. and referred briefly TO
tne GiIefeht structures and organs OF the
hlNe Dee, calling special attention TO the
tongue, the wax-producing organs and the
| wax pincers,
Social wnsps.
| In regard to Social wasps," the lecturer
said:
The popular conception of these inter-
| esting Insects is decidedly at variance with
their deserts. Wasps are generally consid-
cred thieves. robbers idlers and vasa.
bonds; as impertinent and inquisitive. in
vading our homes and devouring anythin.
and everything their fancy Graves. as SUI
/ gar, fruit, meat, wines. etc. and resenting
interference IN Slcn q pointed way As
| to bring pain and rage to the incauttous or
neddiesome individual who interferes With
| their operations. The term 'waspfsh,' one
! or the most expressive in the langyu2ge
| very wei denotes the popular feeling to-
ward these somewhat maligned insects
| Granted that toward other insects they are
! cruel, and that they courageously resent in
reference, yet the fact remains that they
/ are seldom. IL ever, the original agzressors
/ in the infection or punishment EXCEPT in
| the capture and appropriation of other in
sects as food-a course which finds its coun-
terpart in every other carnivorous insect or
| higher animal. and is justified even by the
| example of man himself In their relation
ship with each other the wasps are polish
! ed and gentle, and never Quarrelsome so
| far as their own species are concerned and
/ they never turn robbers or marauders of
! their own kind. as do the more lauded bees
| among which We have what are known as
the corSaSr bees, which frequently rob their
| sisters of the sweets and pollen which these
have collected with great pains and indie
/ fatigable industry. These robbers even lie
in wait. and scheme and plan in bodies for
| the success OF their raids, as do thieves