The most interesting facts about bees, wasps and bumblebees. Bumblebee - a large anti-scientific bee Interesting facts from the life of bees wasps bumblebees

Bees are considered to be one of the most attractive and interesting insects on the planet. Not without reason, many reputable scientists are actively studying their way of life, reproduction characteristics and type of nutrition. Despite the fact that they seem to have been studied for a long time, these workers absolutely never cease to amaze humanity with their abilities and incredible skills. There is quite important information about bees, wasps and bumblebees, which is not able to leave indifferent.

Probably everyone knows that bees are small and very hardworking insects, which also have an attractive appearance. Honeycombs deserve special attention, which are made from wax secreted by special glands. These products can actually be called real works of art, because they are distinguished by ideal forms, practicality and maximum efficiency. Honeycombs are designed to perform several important functions for the life of bees at once. This situation is about the process of laying pollen, collecting honey and growing their offspring.

Honeycomb creations

The most important information about bees, wasps and bumblebees concerns honeycombs. It is clear that these insects do not use rulers and computational formulas. However, they always produce perfectly even combs. None of the scientists so far has guessed where these creatures have such abilities. Honeycombs are characterized by a hexagonal shape, and their bottom is triangular. Each cell has the same diameter and depth. Without exception, all honeycombs are arranged in even parallel rows. Their unique location attracts the attention of specialists. Only two cells parallel to each other are located vertically. As for all the others, they are tilted at a precise 30-degree angle. Even the great Charles Darwin tried to unravel the secret of such a honeycomb structure in a timely manner, but he failed to bring this study to its logical conclusion.

Useful properties of bee venom:

relieves pain in the joints;
prevents the spread of HIV in the blood;
increases the level of anti-inflammatory hormone produced by the body.

All these facts are not fictitious, because they have long been confirmed by representatives of the scientific field of activity. Bee venom is based on the toxin melittin. It is an excellent pain reliever. American specialists in the medical field today are already quite actively using the above toxin in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The results are sometimes amazing.

The fascinating life of

Wasps are no less intelligent and developed insects than bees. This is absolutely not surprising, because they are relatives. In this specific case important information about bees, wasps and bumblebees concerns family relations. It has long been known that wasps prefer to live in whole colonies. It all starts in the spring, when the female builds a nest on her own, where she lays her eggs. After about 26 days, larvae appear from them. It is very interesting that only females are born at the same time. In parallel, their mother lays eggs again, as a result of which the colony increases significantly. Closer to autumn, males and other females adapted to fertility appear in it.

A very important feature possessed by wasps is visual memory. Scientists have proven that these insects are actually able to distinguish each other by their faces. True, this applies only to those wasps that belong to social species. They are accustomed to exist, while observing a strictly built hierarchy. Only those individuals who prefer to live alone cannot distinguish between faces. In truth, they have no such ability at all. Social species of wasps, meanwhile, can even become attached to individual individuals. Thus, they choose for themselves pets with whom they prefer to spend all their time. The mother wasp also pays special attention to some of the larvae in the nest. True, it is not entirely clear on what basis she selects them.

The most important information about bees, wasps and bumblebees

In this case, you can make a special emphasis on the bumblebee. This situation is about a unique variety of bees. Among the representatives of science, these insects are associated primarily with a paradox and a real mystery itself. This mainly concerns the amazing aerodynamic abilities of bumblebees. Without exception, all the laws of physics known to mankind indicate that these insects should not be able to fly. However, bumblebees do not just fly, but also do it very quickly.

The similarity between bees and bumblebees is that most of their colony consists of workers and very hardworking individuals. True, in the case of bumblebees, we are talking more about forwarders. In the summer period of the year, they fly around the flowers and collect nectar from them, which is subsequently stored inside an equipped nest. This is done by not fully developed females. Their main advantage is very good and focused vision. This ability allows them to distinguish colors and choose the brightest buds for pollination. Gradually, they gain experience, which is why they accurately determine the most fragrant and productive plants.

Key Features

Profile experts argue that the most important information about bees, wasps and bumblebees concerns hard work. Throughout the day they go about their usual business. All without exception, their actions are very useful. Bumblebees have learned to pollinate those flowers that were left without proper attention from the bees. The main reason why there is such a clear distribution of work is that the body structure of bumblebees includes a fairly large proboscis. This allows them to get nectar even from the deepest buds.

Most people have seen bumblebees in their lives. All of them clearly know that their main feature is a loud buzzing. In fact, this is not at all a whim of insects, but an objective necessity. Bumblebees buzz the most during their close approach to the bud. At this moment, they shake out all the pollen without exception from the stamens of flowers, and also collect nectar. When it's hot outside, specially trained individuals buzz near the entrance to the nest. This is done in order to ventilate your own home.

Meeting with stinging insects is inevitable in the warm season, especially outside the city. Honeybees are usually friendly and only sting when threatened. Hornets and wasps are more aggressive. Hornets, wasps, bees, bumblebees differ from each other in appearance and behavior.

Appearance

The bee is distinguished by a discreet color, shaded black and yellow stripes. The body is hairy, without a pronounced transition from the chest to the tummy, the legs are plump, black and hairy, the jaws are small. The back is black with a yellow coating, the posterior segment of the body has dark yellow stripes. The size of the worker and the queen bee is different.

Wasp

The main difference between a wasp and a bee is the presence of a waist. It has a sharp transition from the sternum to the tummy, the body itself is smooth and elongated. The color distinguishes it from others: in wasps it is bright and contrasting, the back is black, with yellow patches, the posterior segment of the body is striped, black and yellow. Paws are yellow, jaws are massive.

Bumblebee

The bumblebee is many times larger and hairier than bees and wasps. It has wide red stripes on a brown body. There are also pure black bumblebees. The differences between the female and the male are the presence of antennae in the latter. The bumblebee, unlike other species, is a universal pollinator, its nests must be protected.

The largest of all the above insects. He has powerful jaws and a large body, the color is striped black and yellow, the hornets grow up to 5 cm, the uterus is usually larger than males. It differs in body structure from the wasp by less grace. Although the hornet is a close relative of the wasp, there are individuals without stripes, with a uniform brown or orange color.

Nutrition and lifestyle

Most wasps, bees and bumblebees are gregarious insects.

The bumblebee is the first to go to collect nectar. He does it alone, in the early morning. It usually takes about 18 hours to find and collect food. Bees and wasps fly out in flocks, the former often have small groups, while wasps form a swarm of 20-30 individuals.

The hornet searches for food alone, covering distances of up to 10 km.

All of these species love nectar, but hornets also eat sweet berries and fruits, small insects, even bees. If during the flight the hornet discovers a beehive, he marks it with his smelling secret, so that later he will return with a swarm. Hornets brutally kill bees, bite off their heads and eat away the peritoneum. Honey remains the most valuable trophy. Wasps also love honey, because of such enmity, wasps, bees and hornets cannot exist with each other on the same territory.

Wasps are aggressive and predatory, most often they attack bees, wanting to get honey, but it is easier for bees to cope with wasps and repel the attack on the hive. Wasps also love sweet fruits or sugary foods.

The difference between bees and bumblebees from other species is that they only eat nectar from flowering plants.

Habitat

Wild bees build houses from wax, choosing hollow trees for this. Domestic bees live in apiaries in houses specially built by man - beehives. The bees have large hives, because families consist of workers, drones and queen bees.

Bumblebees inhabit:

hollow;
birdhouses;
they build bombidaria houses in the ground, using honeycombs from hatched larvae as building material.

Both species are found in fields, city parks or gardens.

Wasps and hornets prefer tree crowns, cracks in rocks, building eaves, attics of bathhouses or sheds. Pieces of wood bitten off and smeared with saliva are used as building material.

Who bites harder

Hornets and wasps are the most aggressive, they have a thin sting, with which they deeply pierce the skin several times. The bite is painful and burning, the affected area is very swollen. This may cause an allergic reaction. Also, wasps are able to signal that the whole swarm will join them. These insects continue to live after being bitten.

The bee is hard to anger, but it leaves a sting in the body, striking only once, and subsequently dies. Bees sting only in case of extreme danger. Their bite is not so painful.

The most benevolent of all is the bumblebee, it attacks in exceptional cases. Its bite is less painful. Only the female has a sting, she does not lose it, and sometimes bites several times. A bumblebee sting can cause severe allergies and fever, it is especially dangerous for children.

honey production

Bee and bumblebee honey differ in the amount of minerals and proteins in the composition, as well as its consistency. Bumblebee honey is watery, but several times richer in composition. It is stored longer than honey bees. It is kept in the refrigerator so that it does not ferment.

Bees and bumblebees pollinate many plants over the summer, they are real workhorses in the insect world.

Wasps do not collect nectar and pollen, do not produce honey. They sit on a flower only in search of food for larvae, looking for aphids or other small insects. The destruction of small pests is considered their work merit. Bees feed offspring only with nectar.

Wasps and hornet

Conclusion

The difference between a bee and a wasp and a bumblebee from a hornet is difficult to notice at first glance. Insects have different appearance, habits and way of life.

If you go to the meadow, you can meet insects that a person encounters quite often - these are bumblebees, wasps and bees. They are so different from each other that it is simply unrealistic to confuse them. The main differences are in their size as well as their coloration. Most often, a person comes into contact with wasps and bees, but bumblebees are much less likely to catch the eye, although they differ in a more massive body. Despite this, there are species that are even smaller in size than a bee, although bees are different.

All three species of insects belong to the same family of Hymenoptera. These are social insects that build nests and live in families where there is a strict division of duties. In the family, female queens, worker females and male drones are noted, which worker females expel from the family after fertilization of the queen. The family defends its nests with all available forces.

Bumblebees and bees belong to the genus of real bees, so they know how to make honey. Bumblebees collect better quality honey, but not in such volumes as bees, and it is not stored as well. long time. Bumblebees and bees are unique in that they pollinate various plants, ensuring a good harvest.

Wasps and bumblebees have a smooth sting, which is used by individuals repeatedly, protecting themselves from enemies. But in bees, it is not smooth, therefore, having bitten a person, she is not able to pull him out of the human body and dies.

There are a number of signs by which you can easily determine what kind of insect flies around - a bumblebee, a wasp or a bee.

The first sign is hairiness, which is distributed among insects in the following order:

First place for a bumblebee.
Second place for a bee.
Third place behind the wasp.

If a bumblebee and a wasp are the same size, then they can easily be confused by color, but in any case, the body of the wasp will be “bald”. Bees are in an intermediate position in terms of hairiness, so for those who do not understand this, it may seem that the body of a bee is also devoid of hairiness. In fact, if you look closely, her body is covered with bristles, but they are not so long, so not too noticeable.

The coloring options for insects are so numerous that it will not be difficult to distinguish between a bumblebee, a wasp and a bee. The bee is distinguished by dark brown shades. In cartoons, there is a certain stereotype, so the honey pickers are drawn as striped. If you look closely at the images of insects, then their difference is immediately evident.

Bumblebees and wasps can have absolutely monotonous coloring, including striped ones. There are glitter wasps, which differ in iridescent colors, and typhia, for example, are painted in a monotonous black color. At the same time, most people believe that wasps have an exceptionally classic color, with a predominance of yellow and black stripes. It should be noted that members of other families that do not have a similar coloration can be dangerous and can bite just as painfully.

In nature, there are species whose body length is almost the same, therefore, on this basis, it can be difficult to distinguish who is who. Despite this, the overall dimensions and structure of the body can indicate who we are talking about. This is another sign of how these insects can be distinguished.

Important fact! Despite the length of the body, the representative of the Bombus species always looks more massive than graceful bees and wasps.

Such a factor has a rather serious influence on the definition of differences between insects. Bumblebees and bees, which represent the family of true bees, are distinguished by the fact that they are exclusively vegetarian. As a rule, they feed on pollen, nectar and honey, which cannot be said about wasps. These insects are omnivorous, with a bias towards predators that can even feed on carrion.

In terms of the way of life, these insects also have significant differences. Bees, for example, stock up for the winter and hibernate with the whole family. Bumblebees do not stock up for the winter and use honey to feed their larvae. All working individuals die with the onset of cold weather, and only the queen remains to winter. As for wasps, their diet is very diverse.

Wasps eat:

Ripe fruits.
They love all kinds of sweets.
They catch insects.
Do not refuse to fall.

Wasps feed their larvae on protein foods. To do this, working individuals catch various insects, and in the conditions of the city they find various pieces of meat, including dead animals.

At the same time, they do not make stocks for the winter, since the whole family, except for the queen, dies in autumn.

Real bees and their families build nests in the hive or elsewhere if there is no ready-made hive. Their nests are made up of honeycombs that have correct form, in contrast to the nest itself, which can have an arbitrary shape. The shape of the nest depends on the shape of the cavity in which the bees build their nest.

As for the wasps, they build their own nests in any suitable place. As a rule, wasp colonies are not as numerous as bee colonies, so their nests are not large. Mostly there are nests of wasps in the form of an elongated top or in the form of a curved plate irregular shape. If you look at this plate, it resembles a sunflower, but without seeds.

It is important to know! A nest in the form of an elongated top may also belong to hornets.

Wasps build their nests from cellulose glued together with their saliva. If you pick up the nest, it resembles an object glued from thick cardboard.

The sting of a bee disposable if it bites a person. Due to the presence of notches, she is not able to pull it out of human skin. After a bite, the bee dies, but if it bites some other creature, it can survive. A bee can be aggressive if you swing your arms a lot.

As for wasps and bumblebees, they have reusable stingers and can bite a person more than once. At the same time, a wasp can bite just like that if she doesn’t like something. The most harmless creature in this regard is a bumblebee. It takes a lot of effort to get him to bite.

The bumblebee is different in that it prefers to fly apart and, if disturbed, it will simply fly away and that's it.

A bee, even if it is alone, can curl around an object. Finding out how dangerous this object is for her. At the same time, she is unlikely to be able to bite if she does not swing her arms. In any case, the bees will attack if the peace of the family or the hive is disturbed.

The wasp is considered the most annoying insect and is able to bite in the most harmless situation. Moreover, the sting of the wasp is characterized by sharp and severe pain.

Probably everyone knows that bees are small and very hardworking insects. It is already considered interesting how bees make honey. The life system of bees is clearly formulated and gives excellent results.

Winged architects

Have you ever seen a honeycomb? As you know, they are made by insects from wax, which is secreted by special glands. In combs, they lay pollen, store honey, and also raise offspring. However, not everything is so simple with these unusual hexagonal buildings. Without using rulers and other computing tools, winged workers surprisingly manage to build perfectly even and correct hexagons according to all mathematical laws. Where the bees-architects have such amazing abilities, one can only guess.

The hexagonal shape of the cell has a trihedral bottom, which is simultaneously part of the bottom of the three chambers on the opposite side of the cells. The transverse diameter of each chamber is 5.37 mm - no more, no less. Each cell has its own constant depth: 10 mm in the southern regions and 12 mm in the northern ones.

As scientists found out, this form of a hexagonal hollow prism was chosen for a reason, because only 1 cm2. honeycomb can fit up to 8000 cells.

All cell-cells are arranged in parallel rows and are arranged according to a special principle. So, two walls of parallel cells are vertical, and the remaining walls are inclined at an angle of 30 degrees. Charles Darwin tried to unravel the secret of how bees manage to build these honeycombs. But the exact answer has not yet been found by modern scientists.

Amazing bee venom

Many have probably heard about a special type of therapy - bee venom. People suffering from joint pain often use the stings of these insects. So, the basis of the poison is the melittin toxin, but few people know that its action is so strong that it can suppress the spread of HIV in the blood. This has already been proven by modern virologists at the University of Washington, having discovered another mystery of bees. Melittin manages to break through the protective shell of the virus and completely destroy it.

In addition, bee venom toxin increases the production of anti-inflammatory hormone in the human body. Therefore, it can be successfully used for pain relief, as well as to increase the healing of injuries and injuries. For example, already in the USA, melittin is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

flower dances

Have you ever wondered how the bees know what flowers to pick, where to fly, and what to do in general? It turns out that in addition to their language of communication, they transmit information by body movements, that is, by a kind of dance. With various movements, scout insects show each other the distances to flowers. In this case, the angle of inclination of the body indicates the position relative to the sun, and horizontal movements talk about distance. Telling relatives information, the bee can repeat the dance up to 100 times.

Features about bees have been sorted out, but what do wasps hide in their lives? After all, these insects are no less intelligent than their striped relatives.

wasp colony

Unlike bees, wasps build their nests and create families alone. So, in the spring, one female builds a nest and lays her eggs there. After about 26 days, the larvae hatch, which at first eat the food brought by the "mother". It is noteworthy that all adults of the same sex are born - females. They have naturally underdeveloped ovaries, so they cannot produce offspring and are only engaged in taking care of the house.

At this time, the "mother" again lays eggs and the colony increases. Males and other fertile females appear only by autumn. Then they fly away in the mating season, the males die after mating, and the females, future mothers, hibernate.

Wasps recognize each other by their faces

As it turns out, there is one more thing in the life of wasps - they are able to distinguish between their relatives. However, this ability is only available to social species wasps, where there is a hierarchy. And those individuals who live alone, do not know how to distinguish between faces.

Pets

Wasps are characterized by another feature that is no longer in the world of insects and even many animals - attachment to individual offspring. Japanese scientists from Kyushu University managed to reveal the fact that mother wasps pay much more attention and care to some larvae in the nest than others. As a rule, these larvae are more developed than the others and larger. This is due, to a greater extent, to the instinct to preserve the nest. After all, larger and stronger individuals will be able to better protect and preserve the family.

What do we know about bumblebees?

The bumblebee is an unusual relative of bees. However, for science, it is a kind of mystery and even a paradox. And this is largely due to its aerodynamic abilities. By all the laws of physics, this insect should not have the ability to fly. But it flies and even very successfully.

Shipping Bumblebees

As with bees, most of the family is made up of working individuals, only in bumblebees they are forwarders. They fly to flowers in summer, collect nectar and bring it to the nest. These are also underdeveloped females that have very good eyesight. They distinguish colors, choose the brightest buds and collect nectar on them. Beginners choose different flowers, but already the meters of their business prefer only the most fragrant individual types of plants.

hard workers

It is generally accepted that hard workers are bees, but bumblebees are no less diligent. Moreover, they are very useful, as they pollinate those types of flowers that the bees bypass. The fact is that bumblebees have a much larger proboscis and they can get nectar even from especially deep buds. They also fly for bribes in bad weather. When the usually striped workers are sitting in the hive, the bumblebees are working in the fields in the sweat of their brows.

Bumblebees fly for bribes in rain and thunderstorms, and even before dawn and after sunset. And they work 5 times faster than bees.

Loud buzzing

Those who saw the bumblebee were surprised more than once by its loud buzzing. But this is a necessary condition for the collection of nectar. A bumblebee, flying up to a flower, begins to buzz strongly, rattle its wings, thereby shaking out pollen and nectar from the stamens. Then he collects them freely and flies home. In hot weather, some individuals stand near the entrance to the nest and begin to buzz strongly, thus ventilating the house.

Video " Professor Pochemushkin:why do bees need honey?»

Amazing bees. Bees are insects domesticated by humans. They live in hives big families. The average hive can have up to 60,000 - 120,000 bees. In the vast family of bees, the honey bee is the most famous. Since ancient times, people have been using it to obtain honey. Bees have five eyes. Three at the top of the head and two in front. One bee family harvests up to 150 kg of honey during the summer. To collect 1 kg of honey, a bee must visit about 10 million flowers and bring up to 100,000 servings of nectar. Bee flight speed - 22.4 km / h

Wasps. Wasps are unable to excrete wax, so they build their nests from a substance that looks like thin cardboard. To do this, they scrape off old wood on dry trunks, stumps and even fences, leaving longitudinal grooves. Then, having processed it in a special way and mixed it with saliva, they build a spherical nest, which is placed on the branches of trees, under overhanging rocks or roofs of houses. Sometimes this neighborhood can be dangerous. Wasp flight speed - 9 km / h. The wasp family lives for only one summer.

Bumblebees. The genus of bumblebees includes well-known furry and clumsy insects, examining flowers with a businesslike buzz. The flight speed of a bumblebee is 18 km / h. The community of bumblebees exists only one summer and is never numerous. Rare nests can contain 400-500 bumblebees. All bumblebees need protection. Bumblebees are more "peaceful" insects than bees. Bumblebees live in the soil, in nests, in hollows.

The differences between the wasp bee and the bumblebee are quite difficult to distinguish, and the similarities of insects, at first glance, are also not all visible. The initial similarity of these three species, which determines their common gene, these yellow-black insects belong to the Hymenoptera order, they are all equally useful for Agriculture. Since they serve the good cause of pollinating flowers, they thereby contribute to an increase in yield.

Outwardly, wasps and bumblebees have quite striking differences. The largest of the trinity is the bumblebee, it is quite hairy, so its size is almost three times the size of an ordinary labor bee and wasp. The coloring of the bumblebee is much brighter than that of the bee, but is not inferior to the wasp in terms of light.

Nests and honeycombs

The shape of honeycombs in bees and wasps has a neat symmetrical appearance. Their symmetrical shape looks larger than the nests of bumblebee larvae lined up in a row.

Bees live in fairly large families several times greater than the number of members of the bee colony. The latter simply do not need such a mass of bee souls, since they are inactive in winter, unlike bees, which keep their pace in the cold season.

Do wasps and bumblebees make honey

Wasps, unlike bees and bumblebees, do not collect nectar and pollen does not produce honey. They participate in pollination indirectly and not always, if they accidentally find themselves on a flower to find prey for their larvae (aphids and other small insects). Wasps are also different from their honey-bearing counterparts in that the larvae are fed animal food, while in bees the offspring are grown on nectar.

Wasps, bees and bumblebees belong to the same order - Hymenoptera. They have many similarities, but there are also significant differences. Let's see what they are.

In nature, there are several species of bees and bumblebees, but especially many different wasps - among these insects there are completely harmless loners and real flocking monsters. For example, scolia and hornets are also wasps, although they differ markedly from the common and familiar ones in size and habits.

Outwardly, it is not difficult to distinguish a wasp from a bee and a bumblebee, especially if the insect does not move. But it happens that the Hymenoptera flies past at high speed, or manages to bite with lightning speed and hide. Just on the more common and often biting ones, it is worth focusing on, because it is difficult and generally inappropriate to memorize the distinguishing features of all types of wasps, bees and bumblebees.

It is also possible to recognize an insect by the nature of the bite. We will figure out how to do this and consider in detail how a wasp differs from a bee and a bumblebee.

How to distinguish a wasp from a bee and a bumblebee in appearance

The difference in the structure and color of the body in wasps, bumblebees and bees is significant:

Wasps are thinner and more elongated, with a “wasp waist” - this is the name of the interception between the chest and abdomen, it is very thin in wasps, clearly visible. The body is smooth or with slight pubescence in the region of the head and chest, the back is black with yellow spots, the posterior segment of the body is black with yellow stripes, and the legs are yellow. Colors are contrasting, bright stripes and spots are distinguishable from a long distance. The jaws are much larger than those of bees.

like a very large wasp, but with a less narrow waist and even more powerful jaws. Coloring is also black and yellow. The main difference is size. The hornet is 2-3 times larger than other wasps, bees and bumblebees, it grows up to 5 or more centimeters in length.

Bees are slightly smaller than standard wasps, but their legs are thicker, black and covered with hairs. Jaws are small. The color is also black and yellow, but as if shaded, not so contrasting. The proportions of the body are more harmonious, the interception between the abdomen and chest is not so sharp, and the area of \u200b\u200bthe chest and back is strongly pubescent. The back is gray-black with a yellowish bloom, the posterior segment of the body is covered with muted yellow stripes.

The bumblebee is fluffy, much larger, wider and stockier than wasps and bees, its paws are thick. The body is covered with wide stripes of yellow (sometimes reddish or reddish) color. There are also completely black bumblebees.

The nature of the flight

During the flight, wasps often make jerky movements, now and then hovering in one place for a couple of moments. They are able to move almost at lightning speed to a decent distance from the place where they just were. The exception is large wasps (hornets), their movements are not so fast.

Bee flight is smoother, while bumblebees, on the contrary, fly heavily, rather slowly and with a low buzz. For a long time there was an opinion that bumblebees generally fly contrary to the laws of aerodynamics.

Behavior and nutrition

Bees, bumblebees and the vast majority of wasp species are social insects, they lead a flocking lifestyle. But bumblebees fly alone in search of food, and they can do it in the early morning, when the rest of the hymenoptera have not yet left their sleep. Bumblebees warm up their bodies in a special way and go in search of food with the first glimpse of dawn, having time to collect nectar before other insects.

Bees keep in a small group, and wasps often circle in flocks of up to 2-3 dozen individuals. Bumblebees and bees collect pollen and nectar from flowering plants, and wasps feed on both plant and animal food, often very intrusively and aggressively claiming their rights to any piece of edible found.

It is worth cutting a watermelon on the veranda in the summer or starting to cook jam in the kitchen - wasps are right there: they circle around the table, sit on their hands and food brought to their mouths. They willingly gnaw the meat into small pieces and take it to the hive to feed their larvae. Wasps, especially large ones, often kill bees and take their honey.

The difference between a bee sting and a wasp and a bumblebee

Compared to bees and bumblebees, wasps are the most nervous and aggressive. It’s worth embarrassingly shrugging it off or simply not pleasing them with your smell - I use the sting. Among all Hymenoptera, wasps sting most often and most painfully. In addition, they are still able to bite painfully with their powerful jaws.

Smooth, when stuck into the skin in the wound, it does not remain, so it can use it an unlimited number of times - it will fly off and attack again. It does not harm her health. The poison causes severe pain, burning and swelling, especially if a large individual bites.

If the insect disappeared from sight after the sting, then you can understand who it was - a wasp or a bee - by the presence or absence of a sting in the wound.

Bees value their sting and only sting when absolutely necessary. They can sting only once, while they cripple themselves and soon die. The sting of the bees is notched, so it remains in the wound with a piece torn out from the back of the body. But the sensations when stinging are not as painful as in the case of a wasp.

Wasps and bees, when attacking, give a signal to relatives, and soon attack the offender together. Bumblebees are also capable of doing this, but since they mostly fly alone, in a conflict with them, most often you have to deal with only one individual.

Bumblebees sting stronger than bees and paper wasps, but weaker than hornets. Their sting is smooth, it does not remain in the wound. To provoke a bumblebee to aggression, you need to try, as this insect is much calmer than wasps and bees.

Nest device

Bees build their hive from wax (allocate it themselves), making strictly symmetrical honeycombs inside. Domestic bees live in special houses that beekeepers build for them. A hive of wild bees can be located in a hollow tree or in a crevice in a sheer cliff.

Wasps build their home from parchment, which is made by chewing wood or other plant pulp. Their hive has a rounded shape, it is gray in color, it looks like paper. The wasps attach the hive to tree branches or the ceilings of little-visited buildings, and sometimes set it up in the ground.

The nest of bumblebees is called bombidarium, insects arrange it in the holes of small animals, hollows, abandoned bird nests. The first cells of their nest are built by bumblebees, just like bees. For the device of subsequent cells, they use capsules of already hatched larvae.

Useful qualities

During the summer, bees and bumblebees pollinate many plants, including very rare ones. Bees provide humanity with such useful products as honey and propolis, as well as wax and perga.

Wasps are also partially involved in the pollination of plants, but their greatest merit lies in the destruction of insect pests of forests and fields. They can cause harm by nibbling on sweet fruits in orchards and attacking honey bees, but the benefits of their existence outweigh these negatives.

Differences and similarities between wasps, bees, and bumblebees

The differences between the wasp bee and the bumblebee are quite difficult to distinguish, and the similarities of insects, at first glance, are also not all visible. The initial similarity of these three species, which determines their common gene, these yellow-black insects belong to the order Hymenoptera, they are all equally useful for agriculture. Since they serve the good cause of pollinating flowers, they thereby contribute to an increase in yield.

And one more similarity, which a sane person first of all recalls - a sting. More about this weapon, sometimes deadly for the victim, will be discussed later. Now about each minke whale in more detail.

Appearance of a bee, wasp and bumblebee

External bees. wasps and bumblebees have quite striking differences. The largest of the trinity is the bumblebee, it is quite hairy, so its size is almost three times the size of an ordinary labor bee and wasp. The coloring of the bumblebee is much brighter than that of the bee, but is not inferior to the wasp in terms of light.

Nests and honeycombs

This point points rather to the differences between these representatives of Hymenoptera than to their similarities. The residence of domestic bees is the hive of the creation of human hands. Wild bees live in the hollows of trees. Bumblebees, despite their intimidating appearance, impressive size and loud bass buzzing, are looking for more secluded places to live and most often build houses in the ground and very rarely in birdhouses and tree trunks.

The shape of honeycombs in bees and wasps has a neat symmetrical appearance. Their symmetrical combs look larger than the nests of bumblebee larvae lined up in a row.

Bees live in rather large colonies several times greater than the number of members of a bee colony. The latter simply do not need such a mass of bee souls, since they are inactive in winter, unlike bees, which keep their pace in the cold season.

Do wasps and bumblebees make honey

As for honey, the bee and bumblebee compositions are different. In the composition of liquid bumblebee honey, the amount of sucrose proteins and minerals is twice as much as in the bee product. And he, in turn, has an advantage in the shelf life, regardless of the air temperature. Bumblebee honey is stored only in the refrigerator, otherwise it will soon ferment.

Means of self-defense of striped honey plants

Each of the insects described above has its own way of protecting itself from danger, but the tool for fighting has a single name. The sting of the bee after the attack remains in the body of the victim, and the brave worker dies after losing this part of her hymenopteran body.

The bumblebee is more dangerous because its sting remains with it, and it can attack again, inflicting stinging attacks on the exposed parts of the body of a person or animal that has disturbed the peace of the furry giant.

The danger of a bee or bumblebee sting increases many times for people prone to allergies to substances released by these insects. You should be careful when you are among the flowers, since the probability of meeting and offending a bee here is quite high. Don't risk your health and life.

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Bees are perhaps one of the most interesting insects on our planet. No other species has been able to win the love and respect of man so much. These tireless workers, although already quite well studied, still do not cease to amaze us. What are the most remarkable bees: interesting facts from their life, let's find out together.

From the life of bees

Probably everyone knows that bees are small and very hardworking insects. But I want to ask a question - what interesting facts about bees do we know? What else is so unusual in their lives that we are surprised and admired? There are some interesting facts that everyone should know.

Winged architects

As scientists found out, this form of a hexagonal hollow prism was chosen for a reason, because only 1 cm2. honeycomb can fit up to 8000 cells.

Amazing bee venom

Many have probably heard about a special type of therapy - bee venom. People suffering from joint pain often use the stings of these insects. So, the basis of the poison is the melittin toxin, but few people know that its action is so strong that it can suppress the spread of HIV in the blood. This has already been proven by modern scientists, having discovered another riddle of bees. Melittin manages to break through the protective shell of the virus and completely destroy it.

flower dances

Have you ever wondered how the bees know what flowers to pick, where to fly, and what to do in general? It turns out that in addition to their language of communication, they transmit information by body movements, that is, by a kind of dance. With various movements, scout insects show each other the distances to flowers. In this case, the angle of the body indicates the position relative to the sun, and horizontal movements indicate the distance. Telling relatives information, the bee can repeat the dance up to 100 times.

Interesting Facts we sorted it out about bees, but what do wasps hide in their lives? After all, these insects are no less intelligent than their striped relatives.

wasp colony

Wasps recognize each other by their faces

As it turns out in the life of wasps there is one more unusual fact- they are able to distinguish their relatives. However, this ability is available only in social species of wasps, where there is a hierarchy. And those individuals who live alone, do not know how to distinguish between faces.

Pets

Wasps have another feature that is no longer in the world of insects and even many animals - attachment to individual offspring. Japanese scientists from Kyushu University managed to reveal the fact that mother wasps pay much more attention and care to some larvae in the nest than others. As a rule, these larvae are more developed than the others and larger. This is due, to a greater extent, to the instinct to preserve the nest. After all, larger and stronger individuals will be able to better protect and preserve the family.

What do we know about bumblebees?

Shipping Bumblebees

As with bees, most of the family is made up of working individuals, only in bumblebees they are forwarders. They fly to flowers in summer, collect nectar and bring it to the nest. These are also underdeveloped females that have very good eyesight. They distinguish colors, choose the brightest buds and collect nectar on them. Beginners choose different flowers, but already meters of their business prefer only the most fragrant individual types of plants.

hard workers

Bumblebees fly for bribes in rain and thunderstorms, and even before dawn and after sunset. And they work 5 times faster than bees.

Loud buzzing

Video " Professor Pochemushkin:why do bees need honey?»

Do you want your child to also know a lot about bees and honey in particular? Then this informative cartoon will be useful. Do not deny yourself some interesting information.