David Element
Wildlife Photography and Digital
Video Images
_________________________________________________________________________
Hymenoptera 100 – Bee-wolves
BEE-WOLF Philanthus triangulum (f); HONEY BEE Apis mellifera
BEE-WOLF Philanthus triangulum (f); HONEY BEE Apis mellifera
BEE-WOLF Philanthus triangulum (f); HONEY BEE Apis mellifera
BEE-WOLF Philanthus triangulum (f); HONEY BEE Apis mellifera
BEE-WOLF Philanthus triangulum (f); HONEY BEE Apis mellifera
BEE-WOLF Philanthus triangulum (f); HONEY BEE Apis mellifera
BEE-WOLF
Philanthus triangulum (f);
HONEY BEE Apis
mellifera
- The
handsome Bee-wolf or Bee-killer Wasp Philanthus triangulum
has undergone a rapid range expansion in Britain following a series of
hot, dry summers. The facial markings of the sexes are distinctively
different – the males have a ‘coronet’ mark on their faces - and note that
the females are normally much larger than the males. Until recently this
solitary digger wasp was only found as a rarity on the south coast, but it
may now be seen in almost any suitable habitat in southern England
although the population is prone to significant fluctuation. The nests are
established in loose 'colonies' in sandy soil and their notorious
predation of worker Honey Bees Apis
mellifera is quite fascinating to watch. The female
wasps capture feeding Honey Bees, sting them in
order to induce paralysis and then carry the bees back to their nests
slung underneath their bodies and clamped in position (upside-down) by the
middle pair of legs. The sternites of Bee-wolves
are reinforced to prevent retaliatory stings from their victims. This
series of photographs (one more of which may be seen here: Hymenoptera
1) also provides proof of some interesting
behaviour noted by Roger Hawkins when he saw these images indicating that
these wasps may also force the bees to regurgitate nectar which they then
steal – it certainly makes sense for this source of energy to be utilised
rather than wasted. The wasps are able to relocate their nests even if
they have been disturbed and then open up the entrances by digging rapidly
with their front legs (often with the captive bees still in situ) before
carrying the prey deep into their burrows and stocking up their larders.
They then disguise the nest entrances by temporarily filling up the
entrance holes. It is interesting to note that a paralysed bee will not be
taken by another wasp even if is left temporarily unguarded, indicating
that the prey may have been pheromonally 'tagged'. It is also apparent
that these wasps concentrate purely on a single prey species (this is
certainly true in the UK), ignoring other similar bees or honeybee mimics,
drone-flies for example. Because of this prey specificity the recent drop
in the honeybee population may well have a knock-on effect on P. triangulum
and a consequential population crash of this predatory wasp might be
predicted. No predator can afford to wipe out its prey species. An
equilibrium becomes established and there is no suggestion that this wasp
is in any way responsible for the loss of significant numbers of Honey Bees. There are several in-depth studies of
Bee-wolf behaviour that have been posted on-line providing more in-depth
accounts of the biology of this fascinating insect and they are well worth
reading.
·
David
has posted several films of Bee Wolves
in action – they are fascinating insects to watch. These may be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpJmR8MQNWg&list=PL4AirIEc0Noe71WjkaynaPoocE9dos2G3&index=2&t=4s;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swobWa46TJw&list=PL4AirIEc0Noe71WjkaynaPoocE9dos2G3&index=5&t=0s;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTNSeyUvxBA&list=PL4AirIEc0Noe71WjkaynaPoocE9dos2G3&index=15&t=16s;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4U4pRCet4eg&list=PL4AirIEc0Noe71WjkaynaPoocE9dos2G3&index=18&t=0s; and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frart_og6SE&list=PL4AirIEc0Noe71WjkaynaPoocE9dos2G3&index=25&t=0s.
->
Hymenoptera 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51,
52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100
-> Species Index, Common Names
-> Species Index, Scientific Names
-> Site
Index
-> Home