Big woolly bee
| Big woolly bee | ||||||||||||
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Large woolly bee ( Anthidium manicatum ), male |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Anthidium manicatum | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The large woolly bee or garden woolly bee ( Anthidium manicatum ) is a species of bee from the Megachilidae family and thus belongs to the solitary bees . This species is noticeable for its wasp- like black and yellow markings . The yellow stripes do not unite on the top of the abdomen . The name can be traced back to the use of vegetable wool to build brood cells.
Big woolly bees burrow
At 14 to 18 millimeters, the males are significantly larger than the females, who are eleven to twelve millimeters tall. The abdomen of the female animals shows a mostly regular wasp-like yellow-black pattern. The yellow stripes do not unite on the upper side of the abdomen , so a black central stripe runs along the back line and tapers more and more towards the end of the abdomen. The drawing of the males is not regular. The yellow areas are often reduced to dots or interrupted by black areas. At the abdomen end of the males there are five thorns, three at the end tergite and two more on the outer edge of the penultimate tergite. The males use these thorns to defend the mating area against competitors for food .
Territorial behavior of the males
The males occupy territories in which there are several preferred flowering plants - for example zieste ( Stachys ), sage ( Salvia ) or motherwort ( Leonurus ) - where pollen , nectar and nesting material are then collected by several females . The male patrols in front of these plants in a hover flight, which is similar to that of the hover flies, and drives away food competitors such as bumblebees , honeybees or other males. To do this, it flies towards its opponent and, just before the collision, bends its abdomen forward so that the thorns at the end of the abdomen are directed forward. This can lead to injuries to the sensitive wings of the attacked. If this makes them unable to fly, they starve to death.
Reproduction
In the respective area of a male pollen and nectar collecting females are served by the male, and mostly on the flower copulated . The female bee lays one egg at a time in a brood cell filled with pollen and nectar, which she lays in found holes in the earth, in the wall, in wood or in crevices. After laying the eggs, she closes the brood cell with vegetable wool. Females develop from fertilized eggs and males develop from unfertilized eggs.
Larval development and flight time
The larva moults several times after hatching and eats the food supply for weeks before spinning into a cocoon and pupating . The winter break takes place as a resting larva. At the end of the metamorphosis , the flyable bee (imago) hatches from the pupa. In Central Europe, one generation per year ( "univoltin" ) is the rule. A second brood can occur in hot, long summers, but is rarely successful. The females fly from mid-June to mid-October. The males fly from mid-June to late September.
Unusual
The big woolly bees show unusual behavior when they sleep. When the weather permits, they bite their mandibles onto parts of the plant and let themselves hang. At first the wings are still spread. As you sleep deeper, your legs relax and sink down. With deep rest, the wings are placed on the body. In the event of a disturbance, the animals drop and can take off immediately. This behavior can also be observed in other species of the genus Anthidium . Other solitary bee species that also sleep in this way can be found , for example, with wasp bees . In rainy weather or strong winds, the large woolly bees, like other solitary bees, retreat into weather-protected cavities, such as the empty brood cells of their nesting tubes.
Web links
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