Beewolves (genus ''Philanthus''), also known as bee-hunters or bee-killer wasps, are solitary,

predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder ...

s, most of which prey on bees, hence their common name. The adult females dig tunnels in the ground for nesting, while the territorial males mark twigs and other objects with

pheromone A pheromone () is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting like hormones outside the body of the secreting individual, to affect the behavio ...

s to claim the territory from competing males. As with all other apoid wasps, the larvae are

carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose nutrition and energy requirements are met by consumption of animal tissues (mainly mu ...

, forcing the inseminated females to hunt for other invertebrates (in this case bees), on which she lays her eggs, supplying the larvae with prey when they emerge. The adults consume nectar from flowers. The prevalent European species, '' P. triangulum,'' specializes in preying upon honey bees, thus making it a minor pest for

beekeeper A beekeeper is a person who keeps honey bees, a profession known as beekeeping. The term beekeeper refers to a person who keeps honey bees in beehives, boxes, or other receptacles. The beekeeper does not control the creatures. The beekeeper ow ...

s. Other ''Philanthus'' may specialize in other bee species or they may be generalists which prey upon a wide variety of bees such as the American bumblebee, '' Bombus pensylvanicus'', or other

hymenoptera Hymenoptera is a large order of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones. Many of the species are parasitic. Females typi ...

ns,Yeo, P.F. & Corbet, S.A. Solitary wasps. Naturalists Handbooks 3. The Richmond Publishing Co. Ltd, 1995, 2nd ed. including conspecifics. They are notable for stinging their prey in a membranous location on the

ventral Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

surface, where the

venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

quickly paralyzes major voluntary muscles, yet does not kill the prey. The prey may attempt to sting in return, but it is always grabbed in such a way that only well-armored portions of the beewolf's body are presented. The beewolf carries its prey back to a tunnel, but usually only stores it temporarily, until it is later used to provision a cell burrow, where an egg is laid. Beewolf with honey bee

The tunnel of ''Philanthus triangulum'' can be as much as 1 m long. The first part of the tunnel slopes downward at an angle of 30°, after which it levels out. Up to 34 lateral tunnels, each ending in a brood chamber, branch off from the main tunnel. Each brood chamber is stocked with one to six honeybees.

Gallery

Brutal Attack (5622477672).jpg, ''Philanthus'' sp. capturing prey bee wolf.jpg, European beewolf carrying a honeybee to its tunnel Philanthus gibbosus, female,-face 2012-07-31-20.20.35-ZS-PMax.jpg, '' Philanthus gibbosus'' P. gibbosus57306787w.jpg, '' Philanthus gibbosus''

References

External links

Semiochemicals of Genus ''Philanthus''.
Pherobase.
''Philanthus''.
BugGuide.net {{Taxonbar, from=Q141958 Philanthidae Apoidea genera Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius

Gallery

See also

References

External links