David
Element
Wildlife
Photography
and Digital
Video Images
_________________ Hymenoptera 1 - Bee-Wolves
BEE-WOLF
Philanthus triangulum
BEE-WOLF
Philanthus triangulum
BEE-WOLF
Philanthus triangulum
- 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. Until recently this solitary 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. The
nests are established in loose 'colonies' in sandy soil
and their notorious predation of Honeybees Apis
mellifera is quite
fascinating to watch. The female wasps capture feeding
honeybees, 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 wasps relocate their nests even
if they have been disturbed and then open up the
entrances 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. It is
interesting to note that a paralysed bee will not be
taken by another wasp even if is left temporarily
unguarded. It is also apparent that these wasps
concentrate purely on a single prey species, ignoring
other similar bees or honeybee mimics like drone-flies.
Because of this prey specificity the recent drop in the
honeybee population may well have a knock-on effect on P.triangulum
and a population crash of this predatory wasp might be
predicted as a consequence. No predator can afford to
wipe out its prey species and there is no suggestion that
this wasp is in any way responsible for the loss of such
significant numbers of honeybees.
RECOMMENDED
REFERENCES:
'The British Potter
and Mason Wasps, a Handbook', Michael E. Archer, is
a useful reference and there is a handbook of British bees
(George Else) in progress. 'Ants of Surrey'
was published in Autumn 2005. 'Bees of Surrey' (due
to be published Autumn 2008) and 'Wasps of Surrey'
are forthcoming books in the Surrey Wildlife Atlas series. Those
with an interest in Hymenoptera should contact specialist
suppliers of Insect books for details of current publications-
see Home. There are some well illustrated German
language books in the "Naturbuch"
series.
- 'BUMBLEBEES',
NATURALISTS' HANDBOOK 6, OLIVER E. PRYS-JONES & SARAH
A. CORBET, THE RICHMOND PUBLISHING CO. LTD. 1987. ISBN 0
85546 257 4 (PAPERBACK); ISBN 0 85546 258 2 (HARDCOVER)
- 'FIELD
GUIDE TO THE BUMBLEBEES OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND',
MIKE EDWARDS & MARTIN JENNER, COUNTRYSIDE &
GARDEN CONSERVATION SERIES, 2005 www.ocelli.co.uk
- 'SOLITARY
WASPS', NATURALISTS' HANDBOOK 3, PETER F.
YEO & SARAH A. CORBET, THE RICHMOND PUBLISHING CO.
LTD. 1983. ISBN 0 521 29940 3 (PAPERBACK); ISBN 0 521
23387 9 (HARDCOVER)
- 'ANTS',
NATURALISTS' HANDBOOK 24, GARY J. SKINNER & GEOFFREY
W. ALLEN, THE RICHMOND PUBLISHING CO. LTD. 1996. ISBN 0
85546 305 8 (PAPERBACK); ISBN 0 85546 306 6 (HARDCOVER)
- 'BRITISH
WILDLIFE', BRITISH WILDLIFE PUBLISHING,
ISSN 0958-0956 CONTAINS REGULAR HYMENOPTERA REPORTS
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES:
- The accurate identification
of hymenopteran insects is anything but easy, so several
important links have been provided below, with the
recommendation that users of this website should follow
the hyperlinks to and from these specialist websites if
they cannot obtain an identification from these pages.
Many of these insects cannot be properly identified from
simply looking at photographs and there are literally
thousands of species in the UK alone, only a small number
of which may be found on these pages. A superficial
resemblance is insufficient grounds for identification!
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