BCBC - NCSBA Journeyman Prep Course - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

BCBC - NCSBA JourneymanPrep CourseBees vs. Wasps & Hornets

Identification Challenge

Slide2

What is this?

Honey Bee

Slide3

What is this?

Yellow Jacket

Slide4

What is this?

Hover Fly - mimic

Slide5

What is this?Fly - mimic

Slide6

What is this?Drone Fly - mimic

Slide7

What is this?

bee Fly - mimic

Slide8

What is this?

Dirt Dauber (Mud Dauber) - wasp

Slide9

What is this?

Yellow Jacket Mimic (Fly)

Slide10

What is this?

Squash Bee

Slide11

What is this?

BuffleHead

Mason Bee

Slide12

What is this?Paper Wasp Eating a Grasshopper on Hop Clover

Slide13

What is this?Bee Wolf (wasp)

Slide14

What is this?Hornfaced Bee -

Osmia

Slide15

Bees vs. Wasps - Differences

Slide16

Honey Bee & Bumble Bee

Slide17

Differences?

Note the difference in the body, size of legs, shape and location of antenna joint

Slide18

Identification tipsBees

Two pairs of wings

Joined with a hook during flight

Long, jointed antenna

Very fuzzy/furry bodies

Tend to ‘dart’ from flower to flower

Flies

One pair of wings

Generally sleek body

Short antenna

Tend to Hover in front of flowers

Slide19

Identification Tips

bees

Wasps/Hornets

Slide20

Habitat

Slide21

behaviors

Wasps

Kingdom - Animalia

Class – Insecta

Order - Hymenoptera

Suborder – Apocrita

Family –

Vespidae

(

A

wasp

is any

insect

of the order

Hymenoptera

and suborder

Apocrita

that is neither a

bee

nor an

ant

. This means that wasps are

paraphyletic

with respect to bees and ants, and that all three groups are descended from a common ancestor; the Apocrita form a

clade

.)

Wasps live in papery nests.

Minor Pollinator

Predator - Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it

Prey -

Sweet plant matter, larvae are fed insects or consume their host. Varies among species, from nectar and fruit, to preyed or scavenged insects.

N

early all prey on or parasitize pest insects.

Sting – smooth - multiple times

Bees

Kingdom - Animalia

Class – Insecta

Order - Hymenoptera

Suborder - Apocrita

Phylum – Arthropoda

Family – Apidae

Subfamily – Apinae

Tribe - Apini

Genus - Apis

Hives -geometric wax hives.

Pollinator

Generally Non-aggressive, don't prey on other insects.

Less aggressive compared to wasps. Some bees can sting multiple times

Sting – once and die (honey bee)

Hornets

Kingdom - Animalia

Class – Insecta

Order - Hymenoptera

Suborder - Apocrita

Phylum - Arthropoda

Family –

Vespidae

Subfamily – Vespinae

Genus - Vespa

Nominal / non-Pollinator

Prey - Sweet plant matter, larvae are fed insects or consume their host.

Very aggressive, can sting multiple times; sting can be fatal to humans.

Sting – Smooth – Multiple times

Slide22

Pollination

Wasps

very important pollinators.

Wasps are

insects

, in the same Order, Hymenoptera, as bees and ants.

Most familiar wasps belong to a group called the

Aculeata

. The word "

Aculeata

" refers to the defining feature of the group, the modification of their ovipositors into stingers, however not all members of

Aculeata

sting. In some members, the ovipositor is modified for a different function, such as laying eggs, or was entirely lost. This group is largely predatory or parasitic.

Wasps look like bees, but are generally not covered with fuzzy hairs. As a result, they are much less efficient in pollinating flowers, because pollen is less likely to stick to their bodies and to be moved from flower to flower

Slide23

Pollination

Hornets

Poor pollinators (virtually non-existent)

Hornets generally eat live insects.

Some other large wasps are sometimes referred to as hornets such as the Bald-faced hornet which visits flowers, especially in late summer, and can be minor pollinators.

Slide24

Bees

Bees are the champion pollinators!

In the United States, there are over 4,000 species of native bees.

Familiar bees visiting garden flowers are the colorful, fuzzy, yellow-and-black striped bumblebees, metallic-green sweat bees, squash bees, and imported honeybee.

These flower-seeking pollen magnets purposefully visit flowers to collect pollen and nectar for food for themselves and their young.

Energy Needs

All bees have very high-energy needs that must be met for their survival. Bees need key resources such as pollen and nectar from a variety of flowers. Many bees need water in addition to nectar.

Pollination

Slide25

Megachilidae

The

Megachilidae

are a

cosmopolitan family

of (mostly) solitary

bees

whose pollen-carrying structure (called a

scopa

) is restricted to the ventral surface of the abdomen (rather than mostly or exclusively on the hind legs as in other bee families)

Megachilid genera are most commonly known as

mason bees

and

leafcutter bees

, reflecting the materials from which they build their nest cells (soil or leaves, respectively);

a few collect plant or animal hairs and fibers, and are called

carder bees

. All species feed on nectar and pollen, but a few are

cleptoparasites

(informally called "

cuckoo bees

"), feeding on pollen collected by other megachilid bees. Parasitic species do not possess

scopae

.

Megachilid bees are among the world's most efficient

pollinators

. The motion of Megachilidae in the reproductive structures of flowers is highly energetic and swimming-like. This vigorous agitation releases large amounts of

pollen

. While they are efficient as pollinators,

they are inefficient as foragers

; megachilids

require an average of ten times as many trips

to flowers to gather sufficient resources to provision a single brood cell as other types of bees.

A leaf-cutter bee showing abdominal scopa

Slide26

What is this?Yellowfaced Bee – has internal Crop for carrying nectar and pollen

Slide27

Linkswww.beespotter.orgwww.diffen.com

www.nativebeeology.com

www.insectidentification.org

www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/animals/bees.shtml