Posted by Rui Andrade on 14-05-2008 00:05
#1
Can anyone explain me what this red-abdomen bee was doing? I saw it digging through the hole and next to it there were two dying bees of a different species. Why was it forcing the entrance of the nest while killing the nest's owners?
I also noticed small parasites on the invading bee, what are they?
location: Barcelos, Portugal
date: 11/05/2008
Posted by Christian Schmid-Egger on 14-05-2008 06:44
#2
The red bee is a Sphecodes spec, a parasit of Lasioglossum species (dying be). Sphecodes opens nests of his hosts violently and fights with the nest owners. Afterwards, the lay an eg into the nest, and the Sphecodes larva feeds the pollen etc. of the Lasioglossum larva.
So, proabably it kills the nest owners. The Lasioglossum may be malachurum or any other social species, with special bees defending the nest entrance (probably you can see the head of such an defender in the whole).
The small light red insect is a "triangulus", a larve of a Melioidae (Coleoptera). They life as parasits on bees, the small larva uses adults bees as vehikel to be carryied into the bee nest.
So, you can see two levels of parsitism on your photos.
Regards, Christian
Posted by cthirion on 15-05-2008 10:40
#4
triongulin=larva of the Meloidae!
Not found "triangulus"!;)