"Philanthus" redirects here. Not to be confused with Phyllanthus.
Philanthus
European beewolf (Philanthus triangulum)
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Hymenoptera
Family:
Crabronidae
Tribe:
Philanthini
Genus:
Philanthus Fabricius, 1790
Type species
Philanthus coronatus
(Thunberg, 1784)
Beewolves (genus Philanthus), also known as bee-hunters or bee-killer wasps, are solitary, predatory wasps, 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 pheromones to claim the territory from competing males.
As with all other sphecoid wasps, the larvae are carnivorous, 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 beekeepers. 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,[1] or other hymenopterans,[2][3] including conspecifics.[4]
They are notable for stinging their prey in a membranous location on the ventral surface, where the venom 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.[3]
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.[3]
^Williams, Paul H. (2014). Bumble Bees of North America : An Identification Guide. p. 208.
^Yeo, P.F. & Corbet, S.A. Solitary wasps. Naturalists Handbooks 3. The Richmond Publishing Co. Ltd, 1995, 2nd ed.
^ abcPiper, Ross (2007). Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals. Greenwood Publishing Group.
^Cite error: The named reference Asis et al. 1996 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
The European beewolf (Philanthus triangulum), also known as the bee-killer wasp or the bee-eating philanthus (from the now obsolete synonym Philanthus...
on economic pests is difficult to establish. The roughly 140 species of beewolf (Philanthinae) hunt bees, including honeybees, to provision their nests;...
bumblebeewolf (Philanthus bicinctus) is a species of bee-hunting wasp (or "beewolf") of North America. It makes deep nests in soil. Males are territorial...
bees; the ethologist Niko Tinbergen estimated that a single colony of the beewolf Philanthus triangulum might kill several thousand honeybees in a day: all...
the beewolf larvae, placed by the female beewolf in its brood cells. The cuckoo wasp larvae feed on the honeybees and on the larvae of the beewolf. Adults...
Philanthus gibbosus, the hump-backed beewolf, is a species of bee-hunting wasp and is the most common and widespread member of the genus in North America...
Maiello, Giuseppe (eds.). Folk Belief and Traditions of the Supernatural. Beewolf Press. pp. 58–91. Atkinson, John Christopher (1891). The Last of the Giant...
Philanthus politus is a white-striped species of bee-hunting wasp (or "beewolf"). "Philanthus" (PDF), California Academy of Science, CAS, 2007-10-16 "Synonyms...
Philanthus multimaculatus is a species of bee-hunting wasp, or beewolf, found from British Columbia and Alberta south to Zacatecas and San Luis Potosi...
Philanthus coarctatus raptor is a subspecies of bee-hunting wasp, or beewolf, from Algeria and other parts of Northern Africa. Khedher, Hassib Ben; Yildirim...
Maiello, Giuseppe (2016). Folk Belief and Traditions of the Supernatural. Beewolf Press. ISBN 978-8799633142. Makeyev, Daurbek B. (2007). "Ассианство и мировая...
such as the green darner, some mantises, water striders and the European beewolf. Arachnid predators of western honey bees include fishing spiders, lynx...
nectar). V. bicolor preys on honey bees to feed its larvae. The European beewolf (Philanthus triangulum) is also able to detect this compound when hunting...
Philanthus pulchellus is a species of bee-hunting wasp (or "beewolf") of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal, and France). Males are territorial and...
Philanthus coronatus is a species of bee-hunting wasp (or "beewolf") of Europe and the Middle East, of which there are three known subspecies: P. coronatus...
Philanthus ventilabris is a species of bee-hunting wasp (or "beewolf") found throughout North America. It is a solitary species. "Synonyms for "Philanthus...
Philanthus crabroniformis is a species of bee-hunting wasp (or "beewolf") of North America. The species primarily preys upon Halictidae. They nest in...
known as the Antioch sphecid wasp, is a species of bee-hunting wasp (or "beewolf") originally described from Contra Costa County, California. "Antioch Sphecid...
Indiana, a community in the United States Beehunter, another word for the Beewolf This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Beehunter...
Egyptian solitary wasp Philanthus triangulum, commonly known as the European beewolf. Philanthotoxins are polyamine toxins, a group of toxins isolated from...
Clothing? Chemical Mimicry in a Specialized Cuckoo Wasp of the European Beewolf (Hymenoptera, Chrysididae and Crabronidae)." Frontiers in Zoology 5.1 (2008):...
Eduard; Strohm, Erhard (2005). "Prey recognition by females of the European beewolf and its potential for a sensory trap". Animal Behaviour. 70 (6): 1411–1418...
thought to be extinct in the UK, including the Shrill carder bee, the Beewolf wasp and the Bombardier beetle. It has been said that the site may have...
response and interaction with the male. Philanthus triangulum European Beewolf males release pheromones that include the chemical (Z)-11-eicosen-1-ol...
pensylvanicus and uses it as a model for Batesian mimicry. Wasps, such as the beewolf species Philanthus bicinctus, intercept bees then paralyze them with venom...
rybyensis – ornate tailed digger wasp Philanthus triangulum – European beewolf Else, George "Section 10 – Check List of British Hymenoptera Aculeata"...
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