brown bear

wasp•bee•bumblebeewaspbeeIndeed, wasps, bees and bumblebees all can sting humans. Theydo not do this without any reason though, but only when theyperceive a threat to their lives or nests. The venom of waspsis intended primarily for killing or stunning their prey. Beesand bumblebees use their venom mainly to protect their nestsagainst the animals coming to feast on their honey. Bumblebeesare the most peaceful guys in this company, and even thebiggest wasp – the hornet – does not get upset so easily despiteits frightening appearance. Bumblebees and wasps can stingrepeatedly, while a bee dies after stinging a human. Its barbedstinger lodges in the victim’s skin together with the venomglands and tears loose as the insect flies away, and the bee soondies from the injury.hoverflyHoverflies are copycats!bumblebeeThe yellow and black striped warning coloration, which announces a stingerand venom, is mimicked by many harmless insects – for example, hoverfliesand bee beetles. They are, in fact, peaceful nectar-feeding insects who lackthe venom arsenal and cannot therefore sting. Potential predators, however,regard them as dangerous thanks to the colour masquerade and leave themin peace. Thus, such mimicking of body patterns – mimicry – is an efficientprotective adaptation. At a closer look, one can see that a hoverfly has halfthe number of wings than a wasp and also the body shape and position ofantennae is different. Different from wasps, hoverflies are characterised byhovering flight – staying motionless in the air for some moments.hornetEstonian Museum of Natural History•Dangerous Nature: Myths & RealityAlthough wasps themselves feed on nectar and plant sap, theycatch insects for feeding their larvae. Thus, before raising ahand for anti-wasp repressions, think of them as efficient pestcontrollers. Bees and bumblebees eat flower nectar and alsobring pollen back to their nests to feed the larvae. They are veryimportant pollinators of flowering plants. Most of the coupleof dozen bumblebee species in Estonia are listed as protectedspecies.Bumblebee and wasp colonies have a one-year life cycle:fertilised females hide themselves in sheltered places beforethe frosts arrive and hibernate there to establish new nests inspring, while the remaining colony members die in autumn. Beecolonies live over winter.animals 11