Among the predatory insects there are also pests of domestic honey bees. In the middle zone and in the south of Russia, bee wolves are found - insects that look similar to ordinary wasps. They prey on bees, causing damage to beekeeping, reducing the population of beneficial insects. Let's consider the description, lifestyle, nutrition, and characteristics of pest reproduction. How to deal with them to protect the bees.
Description and origin
The name of this pest is European philanthus. It belongs to the sand wasp family. The size of the insect is 8-17 mm, with females larger than males.In appearance it resembles an ordinary wasp, but its head is larger, the color of the wasp’s body is bright yellow with black stripes. Philanthus has strong jaws, which are needed to fight bees. Females have a stinger, which males lack.
Nutrition and lifestyle
Food for adult insects, as for other wasps, is found in flowers; females, in addition to nectar, feed on the contents of the crop of their prey. But they hunt bees not only for this purpose, but in order to bring food to the larvae.
The bee wolf makes its home in the sand and prefers to choose the slopes of ravines and ditches, which are better warmed by the sun. Digs burrows up to 1 m deep, branched, each branch ends in a chamber for hatching larvae.
Philants find their home thanks to the ability to remember many landmarks that show them the location of the hole. They remember large and small objects and use them to determine the location of their home. If the wasp is far from the burrow, it focuses on trees, the contours of the area, and when flying closer, it takes into account blades of grass, pebbles and similar small objects.
Reproduction and development
Females lay eggs on trapped and paralyzed bees. The larva develops and feeds until it turns into a pupa. The pupae overwinter in the ground, and by summer adult insects emerge from them.
How a phylant hunts: having noticed a potential victim, the wasp stops above it and navigates by smell. If the smell indicates that it is a bee, it attacks it, clasps it with its paws, and pierces the chitin in the lower part of the head with its sting.The poison paralyzes the bee, it cannot move or resist. Then the philanthus presses on the abdomen of the insect with its jaws and eats a drop of nectar flowing from the goiter. It is believed to be poisonous to larvae. After this, the female carries the bee into the burrow, drags it into the brood chamber, where she lays an egg on it. The larva that emerges from it gradually eats the bee, then moves on to the next one.
During the productive period, the female Philanta lays 6 to 8 eggs. Bacteria live on the antennae of female bee wolves, which help her fight mold fungi that can appear in the brood chamber and destroy the larvae. The wasp coats the chamber walls of the preserved bees with the secretion of its antennae, thereby increasing their shelf life.
Why is the bee wolf dangerous?
For beekeeping, insects are dangerous because in the summer, during the period when bees collect honey, they destroy many healthy individuals engaged in collecting honey. In order for the philanthus larva to fully develop, the female must prepare 4-6 bees for each.
When widespread, the bee wolf causes significant damage to beekeeping.
What to do if you are bitten
A bee wolf may accidentally sting an animal or person. The poison causes a rapid development of allergies, swelling, redness, burning appears at the site of the bite, and the affected area is very painful. Symptoms usually disappear within 1-2 days. If the bite causes severe irritation, signs of a violent allergic reaction are observed; in case of a sharp deterioration of the condition, you should consult a doctor.
Fighting methods
The bee wolf hunts at a distance of 5 km from the colony. If there are apiaries in this area, the hives should be transported at least 7-10 km to another location.Other methods of combating predatory insects include plowing wastelands to destroy wasp burrows, sowing with grasses, and pouring insecticide solutions into the burrows.
Philanthus, or bee wolf, can cause problems for beekeepers in the event of mass reproduction. Each individual can destroy up to hundreds of worker bees over the summer, weakening bee colonies. The beekeeper not only loses healthy insects, but also does not get honey at the end of the season. There are few effective methods to combat harmful insects; the main thing is to transport the apiary to a safe place where wasps cannot reach.
