David Element's Wildlife Web Page Hymenoptera 1

David Element

Wildlife Photography

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_________________ Hymenoptera 1 - Bee-Wolves

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. Dr. John Pontin's highly informative 'Ants of Surrey' is a model study and relevant for anyone with an interest in these insects. David Baldock's 'Bees of Surrey' was published during October 2008 and this has already been very well received by hymenopterists. This is another terrific body of work, not least because the author (currenly the aculeate hymenoptera national recorder and a prominent member of BWARS) modestly confesses to having had no particular interest or knowledge of this difficult group at the time that he embarked on the project about 12 years ago. This book contains 48 full colour plates illustrating almost 100 of the 222 bee species found in the Vice-county. Many of the pictures were taken by Jeremy Early, a photographer who has developed great expertise in photographing and identifying these elusive and highly energetic subjects. The illustrations in 'Bees of Surrey' include some rare species that David Baldock believes may have not been photographed before. This book also contains entomological keys to assist with identification. These have been written and illustrated with great clarity by Graham Collins. 'Wasps of Surrey' is a forthcoming book by the same author and this book will also contain numerous high quality colour photographs taken by the same group of photographers. 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 web sites 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 this web site. A superficial resemblance is insufficient grounds for identification!