It is fascinating to see how much parasites manipulate the behavior of their hosts. After the wasp larva has emerged from its body, having fed on its tissues, this seven-spotted ladybird, still alive, remains motionless on the cocoon, offering it protection while the adult parasite develops (May be the baconid wasp, Dinocampus coccinellae, on Coccinella septempunctata)
Cuckoo Wasps are a massive, possibly polyphyletic group of parasitic wasps. More than half the members of this giant family are placed in the genus Chrysis(more than 1000 species!). Undoubtedly, in the coming years this genus will be stripped, split, and reorganized in favor of a more monophyletic and phylogenetically accurate set of genera. As their common name might suggest, cuckoo wasps lay their eggs in the nests of other wasps, and many specialize on a single host species. This lovely individual appeared to be waiting outside an old nail hole on the side of my house that was occupied by a cavity-nesting wasp of some sort.
Blue Mountain National Recreation Area, MT May 16, 2016 Robert Niese
Sphecodesbees are cleptoparasitic, cuckoo-like bees that lay their eggs in the nests of other sweat bees. Despite their outward appearance, these insects are not wasps, but they have converged on a very cuckoo-wasp-like life-history strategy. A female enters the nests of another Halictid, consumes a developing egg and replaces it with her own. Unfortunately, these bees, like the vast majority of Halictids, are very poorly studied and there are few entomologists capable of accurately identifying them beyond the genus level. Oh, and by the way, Leafy Spurge, while it is one of Missoula’s most widespread invasives, is also one of my favorite spring plants. They’re just such odd organisms! More photos and natural history info to come, I’m sure.
Looking back at my other photos of these bees from years ago makes me realize how far my skills as a photographer and natural historian have progressed.
Apgar Lookout Trail, Glacier National Park, MT October 9, 2015 Robert Niese
Lasioglossum is the world’s largest genus of bees and contains more than 1700 species worldwide. Like many other speciose invertebrate genera, we know relatively little about these organisms and only a handful of entomologists worldwide are capable of identifying them to species. In the last five years, researchers throughout North America have revised the taxonomy of this group using phylogenetic data, new morphological characters, and over 10,000 museum specimens. According to their keys, this particular individual is possibly a male L. (Hemihalictus)inconditum.
a team of florida harvester ants (Pogonomyrmexbadius) carrying a yellowjacket corpse back to their nest (Florida, 4/25/22). Harvester ants feed mainly on seeds which are stored in large subterranean granaries, but won’t pass up the opportunity to scavenge insects as well.
Found in dry, sandy habitats along the southeastern coastal plain, P. badius is only Pogonomyrmexnativetothe region,the rest being found mainly in southwestern deserts. It’s also unique among its genus for its dimorphic worker castes- smaller, more agile minor workers and larger majors with huge heads and jaws for crushing seeds and dismembering enemies.
Pogonomyrmex workers also have the most toxic venom known from any insect (or at least, the most toxic to mammals). They have an extremely painful sting to match, though it’s not as bad as some larger insects that inject a greater quantity of less toxic venom.
Hanging thief robberfly (Diogmitescrudelis) preying on a large sweat bee (Dieunomiaheteropoda). (Florida, 9/2/21)
From what I’ve observed, Diogmites’habit of dangling from one or two legs while handling prey seems to help them make a quick escape if disturbed by a larger predator while feeding, but also probably keeps dangerous stinging prey at a safe distance from the fly’s body as they struggle before the venom sets in.
Sometimes reaching nearly 2” in length, D.crudelis is the largest hanging thief and one of the largest north american robberflies overall. Its scientific name translates as something along the lines of “ruthless pursuer” or “cruel hunter”
In 1859, while exploring the remote island of Bacan in the North Moluccas, Indonesia, the renowned naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace made an astounding discovery: the Megachile pluto — the world’s largest bee.
Wallace described the bee, which is about four times the size of a honeybee, as a “large black wasp-like insect, with immense jaws like a stag-beetle.” But for more than a century, that was the only known sighting of the Megachile pluto, and some feared that deforestation had rendered the giant insect extinct.
“It was absolutely breathtaking to see this ‘flying bulldog’ of an insect that we weren’t sure existed any more,” Clay Bolt, the photographer who captured the first images of the species alive, told the BBC. “To actually see how beautiful and big the species is in life, to hear the sound of its giant wings thrumming as it flew past my head, was just incredible.”
Ensign Wasps hunt down cockroach eggs! They will lay an egg inside the ootheca of a cockroach and the larval wasp will eat the Roach eggs as it develops! I wish I had a better white pen to show how shiny and cool they are!
Day 12: In your house
One of the most common ‘bugs’ (or arachnid in this case) I see inside my home are jumping spiders! Fantastic little creatures and so full of personality!
With a few days of sunshine and gentle winds, it’s finally beginning to feel like spring over here in Toronto. With springtime around, the flowers have opened, the greens are growing, and many prominent insects begin to make themselves known. Time for me to go outside! While tending to the front and back yards (and checking for dandelions), I was greeted by 2 distinct Beesflying around in search of flowers or mates: The Eastern Bumblebee and the Carpenter Bee. I’ll wager their numbers will pick up as they establish colonies and homes respectively, and come summer when many more flowers open, they’ll be out to forage for their families. While these are the largest Bees you might see, there are several smaller, solitary Bees that also emerge from an overwinter to build nests and search for food. The Dunning’s Miner is one such Bee. I haven’t seen any yet this year, but the last few years they have been spotted near flowers in my neighborhood. Or at the very least, a Bee very similar to it; Andrenidae (and genus Andrena) Bees can be tough to identify without looking at them very closely. Dunning’s Miner is well known and wide-ranged, so it’s the best chance we have to discuss this family of insects. The description below may sound similar to the Unequal Cellophane Bee’s description (different Bee family), but it’s worth it to share again.
These Andrenid Bees make their homes in soil and sand, digging a column with side chambers to store the next generation of Bees and the pollen that the mothers gather as provisions. Though a solitary species, they can nest close to one another if there’s enough room to go around. The Cellophane Bees apparently nest in larger aggregates and (as can be determined from even a pictures) are larger than Andrenids, which helps to identify them if you happen to find some Bees near holes in the ground. Strange, but true to know that Bees can live comfortably in the ground, as we usually expect Bees to live in tree hollows or wooden cavities. They do live there of course, but underground living is more common than you may expect (even Bumblebees live underground). Nevertheless, whether in the ground or a tree, the hardworking Bees get to work providing for their young while simultaneously pollinating the flowers they visit. Dunning’s Miner is reported to be a generalist; feeding and visiting on many flowers. While Bumblebees may have more longevity (due to their colony structure) for pollination, Miner Bees can help get things going for the first wave of spring flowers! Enjoy these Bees while you can as they bow out gracefully after June, although other Andrenid Bees keep to a different schedule. Keep that in mind, as timeframe will help you identify what visitors come to your garden. Bless the Bees! Especially the mother Bees!
Pictures were taken on May 3, 2020 with a Google Pixel 4.
Here we have the first video of the year, and wouldn’t you know it the Pavement Ants have gotten to work and are setting up their new colonies and territorial ranges for the year. Once again, a turf war (that extends fairly far out) is fought on the patio in hopes of maintaining a good spot for the colony to proliferate and enjoy the warm weather. The patio provides ample protection and environment thanks to the stones, lack of plants (except for mosses and small grasses) and the insects that traverse it, so no wonder it’s sought after! After the fighting ends and the territories are established, it returns to business as usual for the Ant colonies: foraging, exploring, defending, and ventilating the nest in the summer. The numbers of workers will soon shoot up again thanks to the diligent queen of the nest (and in some cases, 2 queens working together). The unusual thing to note is that despite the fighting and the massive Ant casualties as a result, in a matter of hours all traces of the battle will be gone! The next time I showcase a video of a colony conflict, I’ll make it a time lapse for as long as possible to see what happens when the dust settles and retreat is called.
Video was recorded on April 13, 2022 with a Google Pixel 4.
It’s getting warmer and warmer with each new day in Toronto and that’s getting me excited for when the insects emergence and make themselves seen. Even turning over rocks now, there are specimens to be found in the soil (and some wood lice too, but those roly-polies are crustaceans rather than insects) as warmth and life returns to the plants. While it’s a bit too early to celebrate, it’s nice to welcome spring with sunlight, multiple small yellow flowers and the nectar loving insects they attract. Oh goodness, Wasps! Armed with gripping jaws and a stinger, they control this area when they arrive to gather liquid food. They aren’t even afraid to squabble with each other should a rival Wasp get too close as seen in Picture 10! Best to treat them with respect and distance, even though they’re more likely to escape than fight if approached. Having said that, all bets are off if you are near their nest. While they are Wasps, there’s no reason to not appreciate them and the role they play in the forest ecosystem: specifically contributing to pollination and keeping soft-bodied insect populations in check as the current active workers feed the young larval workers with solid food.
Try not to be fearful of them. Compared to other Wasps, they aren’t very aggressive and are more geared to foraging without opportunistic hunting in an urban setting. There are more than enough prey items for them to capture in the wilderness on the plants they feed from. Rummaging through the goldenrod flowers, we find what I assume are both females and males. Up north, it seems that female Northern Paper Wasps are easier to identify since they are have a greater distribution of dark colors across their bodies. Males seem to have a curled antenna tip and lighter colors but as this insect is quite variable, there’s only so much to be discerned from a picture and without observing a live specimen. There can be so much variability that at one point the Golden Paper Wasp (Polistes aurifer) was seen as a subspecie of this insect, until it was reclassified. Their still Paper Wasps through and through, and that means that nest construction is likely to begin soon with the weather turning warmer. During the summer, fertile queens to be are born and overwinter when the weather turns cold. Upon the return of spring, the young queen searches for a suitable nesting site and begins construction single-handedly using wood pulp and her own saliva. It’s hard work now, but we’ll soon have workers to tend to her and manage the colony.
Pictures were taken on August 22 and September 5, 2022 with a Google Pixel 4. Happy Spring to everyone!
Gold-Marked Thread-Waisted Wasp - Eremnophila aureonotata
How fleeting this insect is: 2 pictures in and it buzzes away in search of more flowers away from prying eyes. Though Wasps have earned a reputation from their defensive stings, a good chunk of them are skittish and will avoid conflict if they are. Of course, these Wasps have nests too and will defend them if something gets too close, but out in the open where roses and oregano meet, retreat is a perfectly valid option. It’s a very elegant creature, this specimen. I originally thought it may be a Grass-Carrying Wasp, but with a waist as long as that, I immediately reconsidered. As the common name suggests, this is a Thread-Waisted Wasp and can angle that abdomen to more effectively sting its prey of choice for its young. Reports suggest that this specie prefers large Caterpillars as provisions. With gripping jaws and stretched out legs, carrying the haul comes easily, but my goodness me, its almost as if the body and legs have been stretched out to parody! This isn’t just unique to Wasps as there are many unique insects that have earned popularity with elongated necks, bodies and even wings! It’s a strange bug world out there, and exploring it is a joy.
Though I was only able to grab 2 pictures of this fine specimen, I was lucky as I was able to snag a picture of the insect’s side which reveals a set of markings to distinguish it from similar Wasps. These white patches can have a slightly golden appearance to them (if external pictures are to be believed), giving this insect the first part of its name. As if patches on the side of the thorax weren’t enough, there’s a similarly colored pattern that extends across the Wasp’s face too! Hopefully I can get a better angle in the future as you can barely see it when the Wasp tucks into the flowers to gather nectar. With a constricted waist like that, liquid intake is all they can eat, but it’s more than enough to fuel them for the day. The only thing left to say is that I’m unsure whether this specimen is a male or a female. Without a stinger to readily see, you can turn to checking the presence of hairs on their face. I can’t make a conclusion today, I’ll need more pictures and apparently this insect is common around Ontario. Hope to find more to share.
Pictures were taken on August 8, 2020 with a Google Pixel 4.
While researching more into this curious specie of insect, I primarily focused on its larvae since they aren’t seen in these pictures. While I hope to find some in the future, it’s unlikely it will happen in my own backyard since we had to remove our black locust tree. Wild trees will have to do the job, but it’s most likely that they’ll be in the tree’s upper branches where leaves are plentiful. That’s their plan away as the eggs are placed directly into the leaves of the locust tree via the female’s saw-shaped ovipositor. From the images I’ve seen, its an effective incision that has the egg resembling a blemish on the leaf: a perfect disguise! After hatching, the larvae can feed together on the many tree leaves and grow until time to hide in preparation for the upcoming winter. There’s little information to find on where exactly they go and what stage of development they do so. It’s possible they crawl beneath the bark of the host tree or fall into the soil and pupate, but not in every case. Some Sawfliesactually begin to retreat away while still larvae while others may overwinter as eggs. In the case of this specie, rotten wood probably wouldn’t be on the table since they attack healthy trees. Consume may be a better word choice than attack, as they are harmless otherwise and can be handled safer than other Hymenopterans.
Looking at the adults with their bright color palette, it’s tempting to imagine the larvae have a similar bright color. That’s partially correct as the larvae’s head becomes more bright orange as it grows, while the body remains a bright green with specks of black markings. That last observation is important as depending on the location, other Sawflies can actually use the black locust tree as the host. One relative in particular kept popping up on my search: Nematus abbotii - no common name. The two Sawflies have had their larvae mistaken for each other, but it seems they can be told apart by the prominence of the dark body patterns. The latter’s are more prominent. Of course, they’re simple to tell apart in adulthood as N. tibialis is orange with black highlights and N. abbotii is black with orange highlights (in different places) and an elongated form. I’ve wondered if they compete with each other where their ranges overlap. I’m not likely to find out since the latter is confined to the United States, but I’ll try and make the most of the Locust Sawflies we have in Canada. With how quickly their trees spread, they have many hosts to pick. Perhaps I can catch them this year under the assumption that if the adults emerge in spring, the larvae may be found in the summer. Hopefully the future holds many fantastic insect surprises. I mean, if I can find a Pigeon Horntail, anything is possible!
Pictures were taken on May 30 and June 14, 2020 with a Google Pixel 4.
As promised on Tuesday when the Bicolored Sweat Bee was showcased, today’s post features a close relative within the same genus! With iridescent green colors across the body, it is unmistakably another foraging Sweat Bee looking for pollen and nectar among the oregano flowers. Compared to Tuesday’s insect, this one is uniformly green across the body with all dark-colored legs (and hindmost of which are covered with lustrous gold hairs). While faintly seen in between the abdomen’s segments, little white bands are present too, which is an important observation to look for when determining which Sweat Bees call your garden home. Both males and females can sport this emerald shell, while the female bicolored Bees look very close in terms of resemblance, though their legs make sure that they’re easy to tell apart. According to Bugguide (click here to see the gist for yourself) 4 species of Agapostemon Bees call Ontario home, each with their own differences to observe. I’m ultimately going with the Silky Bee, but that identification has a little competition with the Brown-Winged Sweat Bee (A. splendens) and here’s why.
A.splendens was considered due to the similarities it shares with A. sericeus. Looking at the base of the wings however, there is no trace of brown or orange color to be seen nor the red markings on the jaws. Furthermore, the wings (though dark) seem to be translucent, making the silky Bee the best fit here. I could be wrong; lighting in a picture could mean the difference between two very similar Bees. And its not as if the Bee will flash its bands at me. Better to fly away and escape than attack a large photographer. These really are skittish Bees, but if you can photograph and observe them, they are worth the effort. And if one is attracted to your sweat, that’s hard work paying off. While now it’s clear what to look for in Ontario’s Sweat Bees (which will be helpful for the future) things become much more delicate when only looking at pictures without the live insect to help you, I may say this in so many words across many posts, but there’s a system and an art to successfully identifying the insects around you. And it is beautiful once mastered! Best of luck during your summer if you plan to go searching for these lucky and industrious ground Bees!
Pictures were taken on July 21, 2020 with a Google Pixel 4.
MostBees are associated with colors like yellow and black, but they come in an even wider array of colors than one could possibly imagine. There are even tropical Bees that are bright blue, purple, white and even some with traces of red (which may or may not be a Red Belt! Today and Friday, this blog will showcase two particular green colored Bees which at first glance may resemble the fabled Jewel Wasp, but are in fact, well, Bees! Look at that little face. That is the face of a Bee from the family Halictidae, better known as Sweat Bees due to their attraction to sweat from the human body. Sweat is a valuable source of salt for them, so an opportunity like this is too great ignore. Fear not, the female’s sting isn’t very powerful, so even if you consider them a nuisance, they present no real threat to you if you’re walking in the park. In fact, letting one land on you may present a valuable opportunity to observe them in action.
It’s best to note that you shouldn’t count on them landing on you if you actively seek them out as these insects are very skittish and eager to escape. Better to sit down after some physical activity and let them come to you. Aside from their diet of sweat, these Bees do as most others do and supplement their diet using nectar and pollen from a wide variety of flowers. This individual has a lot of surface area to cover on this echinacea flower, but plenty to feast on as a result. Female Bicolored Bees need to gather what they can to provision their nests and the larvae within. Like Digger Wasps, they too nest in the ground and have cells that contain larvae, but unlike those predator insects, these diligent Bees line the cells with gathered pollen instead of paralyzed insects or spiders. Quite the little ecological niche they have. As well, while the aforementioned Digger Wasps are solitary hunters, Sweat Bees such as this one may join forces and cooperate socially within a single burrow. It’s not quite an insect colony in terms of structure (i.e. no castes or honey to be made), but a few individuals working together may be all in the difference in the world, especially when hunting for food is not an option.
Pictures were taken on June 26, 2018 with a Samsung Galaxy S4. On Friday, other specie of Agapostemon Bee that calls Ontario home!
