Transcript
Bees & Wasps: A Review of Regional Species
Whitney Cranshaw
Colorado State University
Habits of Bees & Wasps
• Bees
– Social bees • Perennial colony (honey bee)
• Annual colony (bumble bee)
– Solitary bees (leafcutter bees, digger bees)
• Wasps
– Social wasps (yellowjackets, hornets, paper wasps)
– Solitary wasps (hunting wasps, parasitic wasps)
Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
Honey bee
Nest constructed
of wax
Wax flakes are produced
by special glands of the
thorax, then are molded
into comb
Developmental Stages of Honey Bees
Honey bee colonies have
specialized castes that
include a queen (fertile
female), drones (males)
and numerous workers
(infertile females)
Honey Bees
produce a perennial
nest
Honey bees – and most
bees – collect nectar as
their primary energy
source.
Frame Filled With Honey
One 8 fl oz “honey bear”
is the result of:
ca. 1,000,000 flower visits
-The efforts of 570 honey
bees making a total of
14,400 foraging trips
Honey bees – and
most bees – use pollen
as their primary source
for proteins, fats and
most other nutrients
Honey Bees Carry
Pollen in a Pollen
Basket on the Legs
Individual foraging
honey bees are
‘flower constant’
Honey bees can detect polarized light
Honey bees can detect ultraviolet light
The Bee “Dance
Language”
Communication of distance and
direction through hive dancing
Karl von Frisch
Round Dance – Short
distance to food
source (within 100 m)
Waggle Dance –
Communicates
sources beyond 100
meters of the hive
The waggle dance is
performed on the vertical
comb. Its orientation is
related to the angle of the
sun to the hive entrance.
The intensity (no. waggles/time) of the waggle
dance indicates distance of the source
Bee Dance Language • Direction
–Orientation of the dance on the surface of the comb
• Distance –Number of “waggles”/ intensity of
dance
• Chemical cues –Floral compounds for final host
location
Honey Bees
Produce a Perennial
Nest
Honey Bee Colonies
Produce Swarms
This may be thought of as
a type of budding as a
means for the colony – a
superorganism – to
reproduce.
Ideal Site for
Wild Honey Bee
Hive
-Located well above
ground
-Capacity of 15L to
75L
-Small entrance,
located at bottom of
cavity
The stinger of a
worker honey bee is
barbed
Honey bee stinger and
poison sac detach and
remain embedded in skin
Schmidt Sting Pain Index
• Attempts to rank relative painfulness of the sting by various bees, wasps, ants (Hymenoptera)
– 1 to 4 ranking
• Descriptive comments may be added
• Top ranking sting – Bullet ant (4.0+)
– “Pure, intense brilliant pain. Like fire walking over flaming charcoal with a 3-inch rusty nail in your heel”
Schmidt Sting Pain Index
Honey Bee (2.x)
“Like a match head that flips off
and burns your skin”
Some Features of Honey Bees
• Colony construction material –
Wax (hexagonal form)
• Colonies have strict social
structure
–Queen, workers, drones
• Nectar and pollen used for food
–Pollen is carried on pollen baskets of
the legs
Some Features of Honey Bees
• Colony is perennial
• Reproduction is through swarming
• Stinger of workers is barbed
Honey Bee –
Flowering Plant
Evaluation
• Evaluate the relative use of flowering
plants by honey bees (and other
bees) in Colorado
• Identify plants heavily used by honey
bees
• Identify plants not visited/used by
honey bees
Top honey bee-visited
plants include: most
Sedums, most thistles,
catmint, Gaillardia, most
Agastache, Blue mist spirea,
Russian sage, fruit trees,
lindens, goldenrain tree ……..
Africanized bee – Apis mellifera scutellaris
Africanized Bees are:
• A strain of the honey bee (Apis
mellifera var. scutellaris)
• More likely to sting when the
colony is disturbed
• More likely to produce swarms
Africanized Bees are not:
• Substantially different in appearance from other honey bees
• More poisonous per sting than other honey bees
• Well adapted to areas where there are long, cold winters
Diseases of Honey Bees Include:
• European foulbrood (bacteria)
• Nosema (protozoan)
• Tracheal mite
• Varroa mite
Tracheal mites infest the tracheae of the honey
bee. This inhibits the insect’s ability to move
oxygen.
Varroa mite
The Genus Apis
• Honey bee (Apis mellifera)
– 24 races
• Giant honey bees
– 2 species
• Dwarf honey bees
– 2 species
• Eastern hive bees
– 4 species
Varroa mite transferred
from an Asian giant bee
(Apis cerana) to honey
bee in the past few
decades.
The worst day in
the history of the
honey bee
Bumble Bees Bombus species
Bumble Bees
Photograph by Bob Hammon
Bumble Bee
Stages
Top Left: Capped
Pupae
Above: Pupa
Left: Larva
Wax Storage Pots of Bumble Bees
Perennial Colony or
Annual Colony?
Bumble bees make
annual colonies
Bumble Bee Queen and Worker
Bombus huntii – Overwintered queen on left
Male bumble bee resting overnight on sunflower
Bumble bees carry
pollen in pollen sacs
on the hind legs
Bumble Bees
Are “Buzz
Pollinators”
Some Plants are
Dependent on Buzz
Pollination
Bumble bee
brushing pollen from
body into pollen
baskets
Commercial Bumble Bee Nest, Top View
Some Features of Bumble Bees
• Colony construction material –
Wax (round cells)
• Colonies have social structure
–Queen, workers, drones
• Nectar and pollen used for food
–Pollen is carried on pollen baskets of
the legs
Some Features of Bumble Bees
• Colony is annual
• Reproduction is through
production of overwintering
queens
• Stinger of workers is not barbed
Leafcutter Bees
Hymenoptera: Megachilidae
Solitary Bees
Leafcutter
bee nest
sites
Soft, rotting
wood is often
excavated for
nest sites
Leafcutter Bee Excavating Rotten Porch
Board
Leafcutter bee excavation in rotten garden timber
Leafcutter Bee
Damage to Rose,
Lilac and Virginia
Creeper
Leafcutter Bee
Carrying Leaf
Fragment
Leafcutter bee
returning with
leaf fragment
For nest construction:
3-4 rectangular pieces,
crimped for the base
Oval pieces along the
sides of the cell
Near perfect circles used
to cap the cell
All leaf fragments are
oriented with the smooth
side inwards
Leafcutter bee
collecting
pollen from
dandelion
Leafcutter bees carry their
pollen on the underside of
the abdomen
Leafcutter bee
working sweet pea
flower.
Note how the anthers
become exposed as the
bee pushes the flower
while nectaring
Leafcutter bee cells in hollowed stem of a weed
Leafcutter Bee
Boards
Alfalfa leafcutter
bees for alfalfa
seed pollination
Photograph by Sami Waters
Photograph by Sami Waters
Mason Bees
(Osmia species)
Predrilled wood for nesting by the
orchard mason bee/ Blue orchard bee
Note:
Tunnels
should be at
least 6
inches
deep.
Layered wood, grooved, with paper
straw inserts
Paper/cardboard
tubes for nesting
Paper straw inserts for cardboard tubes
Different designs for
mason/leafcutter bee nest
boxes
Used by mason bees
Used by leafcutter bees
A variety of hole sizes
– a variety of nesting
bees/wasps
Nest box designed to display internal nest
workings
Another design for a display nest box (being used by leafcutter bees)
Native Bee Homelessness
Prevention Initiative
Nesting Requirements for
Native Pollinators
Populations
Wool Carder Bee
Anthidium manicatum
Nests are made in
existing cavities. The
nest tunnels are lined
with plant hairs.
Male wool carder bees patrol and defend territories
Carpenter Bees
Ceratina spp., Xylocopa spp.
Large Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa sp.)
Large carpenter bees (Xylocopa spp.) are not present in
most of Colorado
Woodpeckers
feed on large
carpenter bees
Small Carpenter Bees (Ceratina spp.)
Small carpenter bees (Ceratina spp.) are common
Small carpenter bees are one
of the insects that commonly
nest in pith of plants. Hunting
wasps (discussed later) are
another common group of
“pith nesters”.
Pollen stores of small
carpenter bee in pith of
ash twig
Small carpenter bees nest
in broken twigs – or
pruned roses and
brambles.
The cells for rearing young
are provisioned with
nectar and pollen.
Digger Bees, Andrenid Bees
Hymenoptera: Apidae (Anthoporinae)
Hymenoptera: Andrenidae
Solitary Bees
Digger Bees
Digger Bee Colony Site Near Roggen, Colorado
Alkali bee
nesting sites
Andrenid Bee
nest site
Sweat Bees
Hymenoptera: Halictidae
Solitary Bees
Sweat bee (left) and honey bee (right) in thistle flower
Sweat Bees
Schmidt Sting Pain Index
Sweat Bee (1.0)
“Light, ephemeral almost fruity.
A tiny spark has singed a single
hair on your arm”
Bee Flies (Diptera: Bombyliidae)
Bee flies develop as parasites of
ground nesting bees
Flower (Syrphid) Flies
Flower (Syrphid) Flies
Honey Bees
Syrphid flies are excellent
mimics of bees and wasps
Honey Bee …or Flower Fly?
A
B C
D
Yellowjackets
Vespula species
Western yellowjacket (Vespula pensylvanica)
Western
Yellowjacket
Top – Worker
Upper Right – Male
Right – Season
end queen
Some yellowjackets (e.g., the prairie yellowjacket) feed on
insects
Prairie
yellowjacket
Vespula atripilosa
Western Yellowjacket (Vespula pensylvanica) – Key
nuisance wasp of Colorado
Western Yellowjacket scavenging on
meat (left), dead earthworm (below,
left) and splattered insects on
automobile
Yellowjackets scavenge at weak honey
bee colonies and eat dead bees
Western Yellowjacket (Vespula pensylvanica) – Key
nuisance wasp of Colorado
Yellowjackets as pollinators?
Marginal, at best.
Yellowjackets almost always nest below ground
Western yellowjacket nest exposed by skunk/raccoon digging
Western yellowjacket
nest at base of wall and
spruce tree in my yard
Note mud at entrance
from excavations
during colony
expansion
Yellowjackets almost always nest below ground
Yellowjackets may
occasionally use
aboveground wall
voids for nest
locations
Wasp stingers are not barbed
Most “Bee Stings” Are
Not Produced By Bees!!!!
Yellowjackets are involved
in 90%+ of all “bee stings”
Schmidt Sting Pain Index
Yellowjacket (2.0)
“Hot & smoky, almost irreverent.
Imagine W.C. Fields extinguishing a
cigar on your tongue.”
Traps Useful for Control of Western Yellowjackets
Yellowjacket trap sculpture at CSU (August 2006)
Traps capture the
western yellowjacket
and the prairie
yellowjacket
Hornets Dolichovespula species
Baldfaced Hornet
Dolichovespula maculata
Baldfaced Hornet
Nests in Trees
and Shrubs
Baldfaced hornet
chewing on weathered
wood
Surface of a
baldfaced hornet
nest
Aerial Yellowjacket,
Dolichovespula arenaria
Aerial Yellowjacket
nests under eaves
and on sides of
buildings
The Stinger of
Hornets is Not
Barbed
Schmidt Sting Pain Index
Baldfaced Hornet (2.0)
“Rich, hearty, slightly crunchy.
Similar to having your hand
mushed in a revolving door.”
Larvae and Capped Pupal Cells – Baldfaced Hornet
Paper Wasps
Polistes species,
primarily
Paper wasp gnawing on weathered board for wood fibers
Photograph courtesy of Joseph Berger
Paper wasps native
to Colorado
European Paper Wasp
A new species in Colorado
(post 2001)
European Paper Wasp
Nesting in Metal
Building Support
European paper wasps in our
clothes line
Nest box for
European paper
wasp
European paper wasp
condominium project at
Boulder County
Fairgrounds
European paper wasp nest established on growing
sweet corn!
Photograph courtesy of Joseph Berger/BugWood.org
Large Nest of European Paper Wasp
European paper
wasp nest
occupied by
leafcutter bees
Schmidt Sting Pain Index
Paper Wasp (3.0)
“Caustic and burning. Distinctly bitter aftertaste. Like spilling a
beaker of hydrochloric acid on a paper cut.”
European Paper Wasp
vs.Western Yellowjacket
• Predator of insects, primarily
• Produces open nests above ground
• Less likely to sting than most social wasps/bees
• Not attracted to wasp traps
• Scavenger. Commonly visits food and garbage.
• Produces below-ground or hidden nest
• Readily stings when nest disturbed
• Attracted to wasp traps
Traps do not
capture the
European paper
wasp or any
other paper
wasps
WHY Trap
Wasp
Hornet
Yellowjacket
Wasp Trap Study
Objectives
• What insects are caught in
wasp traps?
• What traps catch the most
yellowjackets?
• What lures are most
effective?
The two traps that
were most effective
at capturing
yellowjackets
Traps that were
very poor in
capturing
yellowjackets
The most active
ingredient in
yellowjacket
attractants is heptyl
butyrate
Traps capture the
western yellowjacket
and the prairie
yellowjacket
Traps do not capture
the European paper
wasp or any other
paper wasps
They also do not
capture honey bees
Traps Sold for Control of Western Yellowjackets
A totally useless trap to
capture yellowjackets – or
any local wasps
Another useless
yellowjacket trap
Waspinator – Attempt to
mimic nest of the
Baldfaced Hornet????
If it sounds too
good to be true –
it is!
European Paper
Wasp
Western
Yellowjacket
European Paper Wasp
vs.Western Yellowjacket
• Predator of insects, primarily
• Produces open nests above ground
• Less likely to sting than most social wasps/bees
• Not attracted to wasp traps
• Scavenger. Commonly visits food and garbage.
• Produces below-ground or hidden nest
• Readily stings when nest disturbed
• Attracted to wasp traps
Note trailing legs of European paper wasp
Western yellowjacket
European paper
wasps acting badly –
fruit injuries!
Hunting Wasps
Families Sphecidae,
Pompilidae
Hunting Wasp Habits
• Solitary wasps – no colony structure
• Young are fed paralyzed prey
• Nests are produced to rear young – Dug in soil, plant stems
– Constructed of mud
– Existing cavities
• Adults can sting, but are not aggressive – Sting of hunting wasps (Sphecidae) are mild
– Sting of spider wasps (Pomplilidae) are very painful
Ammophila wasp digging
nest (left), carrying
caterpillar prey (lower
left), at nest entrance with
prey (below)
Bembix wasp digging while holding horse fly prey
Golden Digger Wasp
– Predator of
grasshoppers and
katydids
Steelblue
cricket
hunter with
prey
Photograph by Bob Hammon
Cicada Killer –
Colorado’s
largest hunting
wasp
Pemphredon
wasps nest in
plant stems and
hunt small
insects
Backyard condominium project for pith nesting wasps and bees
Black and
Yellow Mud
Dauber
Black and Yellow Mud Dauber (Scleriphon caementarium)
Nest (top left), crab spider prey cache (top right), larva feeding on spider prey
(below left) and cocoons of pupae (below right)
Tarantula Hawk -
The largest spider wasp
Parasitic Wasps
Ichneumonidae, Braconidae,
Eulophidae, Trichogrammatidae,
Encrytidae, Chalcidae and other families
Characteristics of
Parasitic Wasps
• Larvae develop in, rarely on, their hosts
– One or more larvae develop in a single host
• They are invariably lethal to the host
– “parasitoids”
• Adults often have different food needs
– Nectar, honeydew
– Pollen
– Insect blood feeding may occur
Some parasitic
wasps
Females possess
an ovipositor
(“stinger’)
Parasitic Wasps – Male (left) and Female (right)
Ectoparasitic wasp larvae on fall webworm caterpillar host
Parasitoid larvae emerging from caterpillar host
Parasitoid larvae
(Cotesia glomeratus)
emerging from
cabbageworm host and
spinning pupal cocoons
Cocoons of
cabbageworm
parasitoid
Some parasitoids
pupate on the insect
host.
Left: Buck moth caterpillar
Below: Tobacco hornworm
Trichogramma wasps, a
type of egg parasitoid
Giant Ichneumon Wasp, Parasitoid of the Pigeon Tremex Horntail
Pigeon Tremex and Giant
Ichneumon Wasp
Fact Sheet 5.604
Pigeon tremex – a wood boring
wasp of deciduous trees in decline
Giant ichneumon
wasp – the most
spectacular natural
enemy of the pigeon
tremex
Parasitized psyllids (above) and
soft scale (below)
Parasitized aphids (above) and
whiteflies (black forms, below)
Bees & Wasps: A Review of Colorado Species
Whitney Cranshaw
Colorado State University
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