Interesting Insects #2

Bees, Wasps, Bee-Mimics

Here you find the second in a series of Interesting Insect encounters on the PNT. Throughout this trip we've frequently encountered bees, wasps and bee mimics. Here are some images of these distinctive critters.

Bees are typically non-malicious, colorful, industrious things. They look especially pretty against a flowery backdrop.

Wasps seem so much more, well, evil than bees. There's a perception of bees working together in social units, collecting nectar to make sweet, sweet honey, all the while pollinating beautiful flowers. Wasps are leaner, meaner, and frankly, more vicious. Sure, they play an invaluable role in the ecosystem – managing pest insects for one – but as predators and parasites, not pollinators. We watched this group of wasps swirling and hovering over something deep in the grasses.

Upon closer (but not too close) inspection we realized they were voraciously fighting over the remains of a moth. No friendly working community here. You can see in this slightly blurry image that the wasp in the upper left has absconded with what appears to be the moth's head. The other two insects are ripping apart what remains of their dinner. Violent, yes. Also very very neat to see their competitive interactions.



And then there are the totally different, completely cool bee mimics. I know virtually nothing about these insects, but we really enjoyed watching them throughout the summer. They are small, curious, non-malicious. These flies employ mimicry to avoid predation, and at first their bee-like coloration can be a bit alarming. Once you realize their hovering, helicopter-like flight patterns are non-threatening they become quite charming. It took us weeks and weeks to finally get a picture of one – they are fast little critters on the wing.

Stay tuned for the next installment of our interesting insect encounters along the PNT!