New garden species

Philanthus triangulum (European beewulf)♀︎

Apis mellifera (Honey bee)

Last update: 8 September 2021


Common

LOCATION: Krimpen aan den IJssel, garden

OBSERVATION:
2021-IX-052019-VIII-302019-VIII-16


A new visiter hunting in the garden: a female European beewolf (Philanthus triangulum) [1] with a freshly captured Honey bee.

This stricking large, yellow digger wasp was actively hunting for Honey bees foraging on Hemp Agrimony.

European beewolf ♀︎ (Philanthus triangulum) with captured Honey bee (Apis melifera)

I’ve described her hunting method in the species post, see related posts at the bottom.

Two weeks later I found her what appeared sitting in the Hemp Agrimony but it turned out she was dead.

I’ve added her to the garden insect collection, here.

European beewolf ♀︎ (Philanthus triangulum), dead

2021

This hunting female seemed to test the honeybees foraging on Hemp agrimony by bumping into them. When she found the proper prey candidate she jumped on it, which resulted in a wrestle. The bee seemed to aim to sting her. The tip of the abdomen searched for an opening in the armoured backside of her curled up abdomen but continued to slip of. The aggression of the bee apparently made an impression because she released her grip on the bee and both flew away.

She recuperated quickly and immediately attacked the next honeybee. This time she was successful.

European beewulf ♀︎ (Philanthus triangulum) with captured Honey bee (Apis mellifera)

References

1 Nederlands Soortenregister

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