The Mason-bees

Jean-Henri Fabre (1823 - 1915) was a French entomologist and author. He was a popular teacher, physicist, chemist and botanist. Fabre is probably best known for his findings in entomology for which he is considered to be the father of modern entomology. Fabre was an excellent teacher and his writing about the insects he loved in a biographical form made his works very entertaining to read. Mason bees are named from their habit of making compartments of mud in their nests, which are made in hollow reeds or holes in wood made by wood boring insects. Unlike honeybees they are solitary; every female is fertile and makes her own nest, and there are no worker bees for these species. The bees are known for their skill in pollination. The Table of Contents includes The mason-bees, Experiments, Exchanging the nests, More enquiries into mason-bees, The story of my cats, The red ants, Some reflections upon insect psychology, Parasites, The theory of parasitism, The tribulations of the mason-bee, and The leucopses.