To bee or not to bee

Being allergic to honeybee stings has made me very respectful of bees of all kinds, as well as wasps. I do not have the reaction to wasp stings that I do those of honeybees, but one thing is the same of both – they hurt.

I have learned that no matter how much they look like they would sting and hurt me, few species will. Of those that could, they are not likely to do so unless provoked, and I try not to do that.

We have two species of flyers that show up here at about the same time every summer. Each has fascinating behavior, and I look forward to witnessing it.

The great golden digger wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus) is scary looking. One of the thread-waisted wasps, it is large, it is orange and black, and it completely ignores you unless you get in its way. But this is one of the good guys!

Females have a limited amount of venom, so they reserve it for paralyzing prey to take home to feed their young. Small grasshoppers and katydid nymphs are a favorite. After injecting venom, they transport their prey to individually prepared cells in tunnels they have made in sand or loose soil. As the wasps fly back to the nest, they are often chased by birds hoping to steal whatever prey has been caught.

The wasp drags the captured insect headfirst down into the tunnel and places it in one of two to seven chambers. She lays an egg on the live insect and then seals the chamber. She repeats the process until all chambers are occupied. Her work is now done, and she will leave the nest and not return.

When the egg hatches in 2-3 days, the larva feeds on the insect for about 6-9 days. Ground temperature determines when the adult wasp will chew and dig its way out of the chamber. In our area, they usually emerge in mid-July. I have watched them down close, digging those tunnels and it’s like they are showing off for me.

The other one I look forward to is the two-spotted long horned bee (Melissodes bimaculata). I first came across these one evening about ten years ago, out in our back garden. A dozen or so were hanging on the tall ornamental grass and appeared to be sleeping.

These solitary bees have nesting habits similar to the great golden digger wasp. I have not seen them come and go from the ground, but I have witnessed them many times on that tall grass. They appear in late summer, and I learned that only the males hang like that.

This species of long horned bees is small and mostly black, with extra-long antennae. They grab the grass with their mandibles and hang on for the night. I have seen them leave in the few hours after sunrise, only to return the following evening.

Both of these insects are pollinators, and while they might give you a start when you see them, remember that they are highly beneficial and very unlikely to pay you any attention. I hope you have the chance to observe and appreciate them like I do.