Brachygastra
Honey wasps are species in the genus ''Brachygastra'' of the family Vespidae. ''Brachygastra'' comprises 17 species of social paper wasps. The ancestral species are thought to have diverged about 32 million years ago within diverse Amazon rainforest. Subsequent speciation within the genus is thought to have mostly occurred between 23 Ma and 10 Ma, during the time of the Andean uplift when the landscape was significantly altered due to tectonic activity. The current cladistic organisation of the genus has been heavily reliant on morphological characteristics. ''Brachygastra'' species live in colonies and construct Arboreal locomotion, arboreal paper nests in humid forest environments, although several species occur in open vegetation. They are widely distributed in Central America, Central and South America, and also occur in southwest areas of North America. They have a broad diet (nutrition), diet consisting of floral nectar and insect protein. Several species are known to collec ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Honey
Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primarily floral nectar) or the secretions of other insects, like the honeydew of aphids. This refinement takes place both within individual bees, through regurgitation and enzymatic activity, and during storage in the hive, through water evaporation that concentrates the honey's sugars until it is thick and viscous. Honey bees stockpile honey in the hive. Within the hive is a structure made from wax called honeycomb. The honeycomb is made up of hundreds or thousands of hexagonal cells, into which the bees regurgitate honey for storage. Other honey-producing species of bee store the substance in different structures, such as the pots made of wax and resin used by the stingless bee. Honey for human consumption is collected ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Maximilian Perty
Josef Anton Maximilian Perty (17 September 1804, Ornbau – 8 August 1884, Bern) was a German naturalist and entomologist. He was a professor of zoology and comparative anatomy at the University of Bern.Deutsche Biographie biography His first name is sometimes spelled as "Joseph". He studied natural sciences and medicine in Landshut, earning his medical doctorate in 1826. Afterwards, he obtained his PhD at Erlangen with a thesis on a previously unknown species of beetle, and in 1831 became privat-docent of zoology and general natural history at the University of Munich. From 1833 to 1876, he was a professor at the University of Bern.BHL Taxonomic literature : a selective gui ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Central America
Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually defined as consisting of seven countries: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Within Central America is the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot, which extends from southern Mexico to southeastern Panama. Due to the presence of several active geologic faults and the Central America Volcanic Arc, there is a high amount of seismic activity in the region, such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, which has resulted in death, injury, and property damage. Most of Central America falls under the Isthmo-Colombian cultural area. Before the Spanish expedition of Christopher Columbus' voyages to the Americas, hundreds of indigenous peoples made their homes in the area. From the year 1502 onwards, Spain ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Pollination
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma (botany), stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, for example bees, beetles or butterflies; birds, and bats; water; wind; and even plants themselves. Pollinating animals travel from plant to plant carrying pollen on their bodies in a vital interaction that allows the transfer of genetic material critical to the reproductive system of most flowering plants. Self-pollination occurs within a closed flower. Pollination often occurs within a species. When pollination occurs between species, it can produce hybrid (biology), hybrid offspring in nature and in plant breeding work. In angiosperms, after the pollen grain (gametophyte) has landed on the stigma (botany), stigma, it germinates and develops a pollen tube which grows down the style (botany), style until it reaches an ovary (botany), ovary. Its two gametes travel down ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem services are the various benefits that humans derive from Ecosystem, ecosystems. The interconnected Biotic_material, living and Abiotic, non-living components of the natural environment offer benefits such as pollination of crops, clean air and water, decomposition of wastes, and flood control. Ecosystem services are grouped into four broad categories of services. There are ''provisioning services'', such as the production of food and water; ''regulating services'', such as the control of climate and disease; ''supporting services'', such as nutrient cycles and oxygen production; and ''cultural services'', such as recreation, tourism, and spiritual gratification. Evaluations of ecosystem services may include assigning an economic value to them. For example, Estuary, estuarine and coastal ecosystems are marine ecosystems that perform the four categories of ecosystem services in several ways. Firstly, their provisioning services include marine resources and genetic resource ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mexican Honey Wasp (Vespidae, Brachygastra Mellifica) (30591274156)
Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people of the Valley of Mexico ** Being related to the State of Mexico, one of the 32 federal entities of Mexico ** Culture of Mexico *** Mexican cuisine *** historical synonym of Nahuatl, language of the Nahua people (including the Mexica) Arts and entertainment * "The Mexican" (short story), by Jack London * "The Mexican" (song), by the band Babe Ruth * Regional Mexican, a Latin music radio format Films * ''The Mexican'' (1918 film), a German silent film * ''The Mexican'' (1955 film), a Soviet film by Vladimir Kaplunovsky based on the Jack London story, starring Georgy Vitsin * ''The Mexican'', a 2001 American comedy film directed by Gore Verbinski, starring Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts Other uses * USS ''Mexican'' (ID-1655), United State ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Stinger
A stinger (or sting) is a sharp organ found in various animals (typically insects and other arthropods) capable of injecting venom, usually by piercing the epidermis of another animal. An insect sting is complicated by its introduction of venom, although not all stings are venomous. Bites, which can introduce saliva as well as additional pathogens and diseases, are often confused with stings, and vice versa. Specific components of venom are believed to give rise to an allergic reaction, which in turn produces skin lesions that may vary from a small itching weal, or slightly elevated area of the skin, to large areas of inflamed skin covered by vesicles and crusted lesions. Stinging insects produce a painful swelling of the skin, the severity of the lesion varying according to the location of the sting, the identity of the insect and the sensitivity of the subject. Many species of bees and wasps have two poison glands, one gland secreting a toxin in which formic acid is ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Honeypot Ant
Honeypot ants, also called honey ants, are ants which have specialized workers—repletes, plerergates or rotunds—that consume large amounts of food to the point that their abdomens swell enormously. This phenomenon of extreme inflation of the trunk is called physogastry. Other ants then extract nourishment from them, through the process of trophallaxis. They function as living larders. Honeypot ants belong to any of several genera, including '' Myrmecocystus'' and ''Camponotus''. They were first documented in 1881 by Henry C. McCook, and described further in 1908 by William Morton Wheeler. Behaviour Many insects, notably honey bees and some wasps, collect and store liquid for use at a later date. However, these insects store their food within their nest or in combs. Honey ants are unique in using their own bodies as living storage, used later by their fellow ants when food is otherwise scarce. Designated worker ants called "repletes" are the main group that store food for th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Myrmecocystus
''Myrmecocystus'' is a North American genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. It is one of five genera that includes honeypot ants. Worker ants keep and tend plerergates, which are other ants that store large quantities of nutritious fluid in their abdomens to feed the colony during famine times. Some species engage in highly territorial tournaments, which can result in intraspecific slavery. During the raids, they carry off larvae, workers, and plerergates. The genus has three subgenera, namely ''Myrmecocystus'', ''Endiodioctes'', and ''Eremnocystus''. Species *Subgenus ''Myrmecosystus'' **'' Myrmecocystus christineae'' Snelling, 1982 **'' Myrmecocystus ewarti'' Snelling, 1971 **'' Myrmecocystus melanoticus'' Wheeler, 1914 **''Myrmecocystus mexicanus ''Myrmecocystus mexicanus'' is a species of ant in the genus '' Myrmecocystus'', which is one of the six genera that bear the common name " honey ant" or "honeypot ant", due to curious behavior where some of the workers wi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Polybia
''Polybia'' is a genus of eusocial wasps ranging from Central to South America (Mexico to Brazil, Argentina). Some produce enough honey to be collected and eaten by local people. Species *'' Polybia aequatorialis'' Zavattari, 1906 *'' Polybia affinis'' Buysson, 1908 *'' Polybia anglica'' Cockerell, 1921 *'' Polybia barbouri'' Bequard, 1943 *'' Polybia batesi'' Richards, 1978 *'' Polybia belemensis'' Richards, 1970 *'' Polybia bicytarella'' Richards, 1951 *'' Polybia bifasciata'' Saussure, 1854 *'' Polybia bistriata'' ( Fabricius, 1804) *'' Polybia brunnea'' (Curtis, 1844) *'' Polybia brunneiceps'' Cameron, 1912 *'' Polybia catillifex'' Moebius, 1856 *'' Polybia chrysothorax'' (Lichtenstein) *'' Polybia depressa'' (Ducke, 1905) *'' Polybia diguetana'' Buysson, 1905 *'' Polybia dimidiata'' ( Olivier, 1791) *'' Polybia dimorpha'' Richards, 1978 *'' Polybia divisoria'' Richards, 1978 *'' Polybia eberhardae'' Cooper, 1993 *'' Polybia emaciata'' Lucas Lucas or LUCAS may refer to: ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, Cell signaling, responding to stimuli, providing Cytoskeleton, structure to cells and Fibrous protein, organisms, and Intracellular transport, transporting molecules from one location to another. Proteins differ from one another primarily in their sequence of amino acids, which is dictated by the Nucleic acid sequence, nucleotide sequence of their genes, and which usually results in protein folding into a specific Protein structure, 3D structure that determines its activity. A linear chain of amino acid residues is called a polypeptide. A protein contains at least one long polypeptide. Short polypeptides, containing less than 20–30 residues, are rarely considered to be proteins and are commonly called pep ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Nectar
Nectar is a viscous, sugar-rich liquid produced by Plant, plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollination, pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal Mutualism (biology), mutualists, which in turn provide plant defense against herbivory#Indirect defenses, herbivore protection. Common nectar-consuming pollinators include mosquitoes, hoverfly, hoverflies, wasps, bees, butterfly, butterflies and moths, hummingbirds, honeyeaters and Bat#Fruit and nectar, bats. Nectar is an economically important substance as it is the sugar source for honey. It is also useful in agriculture and horticulture because the adult stages of some predatory insects feed on nectar. For example, a number of predacious or Parasitoid wasp, parasitoid wasps (e.g., the social wasp species ''Apoica flavissima'') rely on nectar as a primary food source. In turn, these wasps then hunt agricultural pest insects as food ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |