AW Insect Book: Sawflies, Wasps, Bees & Ants (Hymenoptera)

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Toko
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AW Insect Book: Sawflies Wasps Bees Ants Pics & Descript

Post by Toko »

Leaf Cutter Bee Megachile sp.
Superfamily Apoidea. Family Megachilidae. Subfamily Megachilinae. Tribe Megachilini

Image © BluTuna
This Mechilid has taken over an abandoned Eumeninae wasp nest; the characteristic downcurved mud turrets would suggest the nest was made by Tricarinodynerus guerinii.

Image © BluTuna
A leaf cutter bee taking a slice of leaf into the nest.
Kruger National Park, Timbavati Picnic Spot


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AW Insect Book: Sawflies Wasps Bees Ants Pics & Descript

Post by Toko »

Leaf Cutter Bee Megachile Subgenus Eutricharea
Superfamily Apoidea. Family Megachilidae. Subfamily Megachilinae. Tribe Megachilini

Image © BluTuna
Garden in Johannesburg


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Re: AW Insect Book: Sawflies Wasps Bees Ants Pics & Descript

Post by ExFmem »

Megachilid Bee cf. Heriades sp.
Family: Megachilidae Subfamily: Megachilinae Tribe: Osmiini

Image
Imfolozi

The Megachilidae are a cosmopolitan family of (mostly) solitary bees distinguishable by the brush of pollen-carrying hairs (called a scopa) being restricted to the underside 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 because of their energetic swimming-like motion in the reproductive structures of flowers, which moves pollen, as needed for pollination. One of the reasons they are efficient pollinators is their frequency of visits to plants, but this is because they are extremely inefficient at gathering pollen. Compared to all other bee families, megachilids require on average nearly 10 times as many trips to flowers to gather sufficient resources to provision a single brood cell.
Last edited by ExFmem on Wed Jun 03, 2020 8:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.


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Re: AW Insect Book: Sawflies, Wasps, Bees & Ants (Hymenopter

Post by steamtrainfan »

I was idly sitting watching TV when a movement out the corner of my eye made me look down near where our sliding door closes against the door frame.

It was a wasp buzzing around its nest which was built neatly in the groove between two layers of bricks and it was carrying a worm which it proceeded to push into the hole in its nest. I was so engrossed watching this that I forgot to get the camera. Next minute it was gone.

I duly waited for the next few hours to see if it would come back but no luck.

A few days later I saw it again near the nest but this time it was carrying some mud and then proceeded to block up the entrance to the nest.

This time I shot off, fetched the camera and managed to take the following photos.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Can anyone give us some info on what wasp this is, why is it doing what it is and any other interesting info.

I am now waiting to see if and when the youngsters break out and hopefully I will have my camera with me.


Faith is the bird that feels the light while the dawn is still dark. Author unknown.
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AW Insect Book: Sawflies, Wasps, Bees & Ants (Hymenoptera)

Post by Toko »

Orange-tailed Potter Wasp Synagris (Paragris) analis
Superfamily: Vespoidea. Family: Vespidae. Genus: Synagris. Subgenus: Paragris

Image
Tembe Elephant Park, KZN

Wasps of the genus Synagris are among the largest and most conspicuous wasps found in sub-Saharan Africa. Some of the species are widespread in distribution and common. The also display some of the most bizarre morphological characters found in any of the bees or wasps and even among insects.
There are approximately 30-35 species in the genus and at least a few undescribed species are known to be present in museum collections. The genus consists of four subgenera, Synagris, Paragris, Pseudagris and Rhynchagris.

The most notable morphological features occur in large males of the subgenera Synagris and Paragris. These wasps displays two mandibular "tusks" in large males, the size of the tusks correlated with the size of the male. Males invest substantially in their weapons that are used in combat with rivals over access to females. lol

The few species of Synagris with known biology are also notable for guarding their nests and even attending and feeding their larvae during their development (progressive provisioning), a primitively social behavior unusual among eumenines, which normally practice mass provisioning.

Syngris analis - Diagnosis:
Clypeus rather dull, elongate pear-shaped, much longer than broad, its terminal narrowed portion constricted at the base and its apex narrow and rather abruptly truncate. Clypeus and parts of antennae and head orange or ferruginous red.

Distribution
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zanzibar.

Links:
http://www.vespidae.be/Eumeninae/Synagris_analis.htm
http://wtfentomology.org/blog-1/2018/6/ ... with-wasps
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/231752472.pdf


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Re: AW Insect Book: Sawflies, Wasps, Bees & Ants (Hymenoptera)

Post by Klipspringer »

Paper Wasp Ropalidia sp., possibly Ropalidia nobilis
Family: Vespidae. Subfamily: Polistinae. Tribe: Ropalidiini

Image © ExFmem
Kruger National Park, Punda Maria

Ropalidia wasps are medium-sized (body length 8–17 mm), usually reddish brown or dark brown, some with white markings. Told from Polistes by swollen second segment of abdomen, into which remaining segments can be telescoped.

According to this observation Inaturalist - Ropalidia nobilis it might be an undiscribed subspecies of Ropalidia nobilis, which has reddish instead of yellow markings (specimens from Mozambique to Tanzania have yellow spots, but in South Africa these become reddish).


Distribution
Ropalidia nobilis is reported from Mozambique, Tanzania (including Zanzibar) and NE South Africa.

Links:
WaspWeb - Ropalidia nobilis; WaspWeb - Polistinae Biology
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ite ... 1/mode/1up


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Re: AW Insect Book: Sawflies, Wasps, Bees & Ants (Hymenoptera)

Post by Klipspringer »

Cricket Hunters
Family Sphecidae. Subfamily Sphecinae. Tribe Sphecini

Genus Isodontia

Image
Isodontia longiventris © ExFmem

The genus Isodontia was erected by PATTON (1880). Commonly known as the grasscarrying wasps, the Isodontia consist of 61 valid species within a cosmopolitan genus.

Isodontia wasps are commonly called grass-carriers because, during the breeding season, females carry grass or other plant fibres to make linings and wads as nesting material inside pre-existing cavities. The wasps have a pair of small flanges on the labrum which evidently assist in holding the grass stems during flight.
Isodontia is very closely related to Sphex Linnaeus 1758 and Chlorion Latreille 1802, in the tribe Sphecini. However, Isodontia has lost the tarsal combs of the fore legs, used in digging by the other two genera. Moreover, their slim mandibles cannot be used for scraping soil.

Isodontia nests consist of a linear sequence of cells, usually partitioned by compacted plant fibres. They use grass stems and other plant material to divide up and seal their nest, carrying the stem beneath them in flight. Some species of grass carrier wasps in the genus Isodontia close their nests with plugs.
They use pre-existing cavities as nest sites e.g. hollow stems, crevices in rocky situations, old bee or wasp burrows in the ground.

Nest structure
The nests consist of a number of serially arranged cells each sealed with a plug, the series frequently being preceded by a preliminary plug and always being succeeded by a closing plug, which completely fills the space between the last cell and the nest entrance (Figure II.3.17–
19).
Nest.jpg
Nest.jpg (119.97 KiB) Viewed 1516 times

Method of construction
The female collects material for the construction of plugs with her mandibles. She holds them in her mandibles as she flies to her nest. In all three species, whilst the nesting female is compacting the materials, buzzing sounds can be heard within the nest.
When a cell has been prepared for the reception of prey, a temporary closure is constructed from loosely packed material, fluff in the case of I. simoni and I. pelopoeiformis and grass in the case of I. stanleyi, through which the wasp will pass on entering and leaving the cell during provisioning. Hunting is then commenced.
After the full provision for a cell has been supplied the cell is closed. I. simoni seals the cell with compacted clods of earth mixed with a little fluff, leaving the temporary closure intact. However, I. pelopoeiformis and I. stanleyi close their cells by compacting the material, which formed the temporary closure, and adding to this further material of the same nature. In these two species, if a further cell is to be provisioned, a new temporary closure is constructed.

Provisioning and oviposition
After the nest is prepared, the female hunts for crickets, captures and paralyses them with her sting, and transports them to the nest.
A prey katydid is captured, subdued by stinging and its antennae are pruned.

Isodontia.jpg

The wasp then holds it with her mandibles and legs, and flies with it held beneath her, head forwards and dorsum uppermost. Having arrived at the nest entrance, I. pelopoeiformis puts down the prey within the entrance, enters, turns around and pulls the prey in towards her. Isodontia pelopoeiformis and I. stanleyi position prey in the cell so that they face the inner end and lie on their backs or on one side. Oviposition is usually on the first prey but may be on the second. I. simoni takes very small prey in relation to the diameter of a cell and positions them so that they lie across the cell. The number of prey per cell varies according to the size of the prey.

She deposits eggs in the nest and the emerging larvae will feed on the living, but immobile crickets. When the larvae reach the appropriate size, they spin a cocoon and pupate.



Links:
https://books.google.de/books?id=xBQlBQ ... er&f=false
https://www.waspweb.org/Apoidea/Sphecid ... /index.htm
https://www.sanbi.org/sites/default/fil ... ies-24.pdf


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Re: AW Insect Book: Sawflies, Wasps, Bees & Ants (Hymenoptera)

Post by Klipspringer »

Katydid Hunter Isodontia longiventris
Family Sphecidae. Subfamily Sphecinae. Tribe Sphecini

Image

Image

Image
Kruger National Park, female constructing her nest in the wood stair post at Tamboti © ExFmem

Distribution
Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Links:
https://www.waspweb.org/Apoidea/Sphecid ... entris.htm


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Re: AW Insect Book: Sawflies, Wasps, Bees & Ants (Hymenoptera)

Post by Klipspringer »

Spider-hunting Wasp Episyron sp.
Superfamily: Vespoidea. Family: Pompilidae. Subfamily: Pompilinae


Image

Image
Kruger National Park © ExFmem

Identification
This genus is identified by the following characters:
Postnotum expanded laterally at the spiracles.
Anal vein of posterior wing meeting the medial vein beynd the origin of the cubitus.
Possess a row of spines on the apical tarsal segments.
Possess an appressed, scale-like pubescence on the thorax, propodeum, and first tergite.
Some are marked with white on the abdomen.

Females hunt Orb-web spiders (Araneidae), capturing the spider in its web, to provision their nest with. They paralyze the spiders through stinging their nerve centers. Female wasp digs nest in the ground by scraping soil backward with her forelegs. The paralysed spiders are carried or dragged to a pre-constructed nest, where they lay an egg on the spider. On hatching the larva feeds on the preserved prey item.
Adult wasps feed on nectar for their energy requirements.

Links:
http://www.waspweb.org/Vespoidea/Pompil ... /index.htm


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