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. 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!
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Element.