If you see a fast-walking insect with black, yellow (white) and red on the ground, on the side of the road, in the dry ditch of the outdoor forest, what kind of insect do you think? I think most people would think of it as a flower ant.
If you were told that this was a bee, a female velvet bee, would you believe it?
Mobile phone shooting, velvet bee (female)
In nature, there are many (small) animals and insects that have certain mimetic behaviors, either to better protect themselves, or to more easily approach their prey and catch prey.
Like: some of the insects are aphid-eating flies (diptera), mimetic bees, to better protect themselves.
Long-tailed tube-eating aphid fly, mimetic most bee-like aphid fly. Not only does the body look like it, but even the "buzzing" sound when flying is similar to that of a bee
Ant spiders among spiders (Jumping spider family/ant spider genus), mimetic spiders. The antennae of its two forefoot mimetic ants are often lifted. It is to make it easier to approach and catch ants.
Cell phone shooting, ant spider (male), a pair of large, flat jaws, two forefoot mimetic ant tentacles lifted
Mobile phone shooting, ant spider (male)
Female velvet bees, mimic ants, why is this?
Among the velvet bees, only female velvet bees mimic ants. Female velvet bees have no wings, cannot fly, and can only crawl on the ground in search of food and lay eggs.
The common female velvet wasp (two species are currently encountered) are similar in appearance. The obvious difference is: the number of markings and round spots on the back of the abdomen is different, as shown in the legend below
Mobile phone shooting, velvet ant spider (female), body length of about 8mm. The abdomen is black with 1 round spot
Mobile phone shooting, velvet bee (female), body length of about 10mm, black abdomen, there are 2 round spots
Male velvet bee, winged. The body length is also much larger than that of the female velvet ant bee. Male velvet bees are highly active, and a single male velvet ant bee is more difficult to meet. The second time I met a male velvet bee, it was when the male and female velvet bees crossed their tails.
However, there have also been filmed a film of a bee, checked to the later, suspected: male velvet bee (verification)
100 micro lens shooting, suspected: male velvet ant bee. Confirmation
The behavior of the velvet bee is very special, divided into two steps: when on the ground, the male velvet ant bee will bite the neck of the female velvet ant bee, and wrap the female velvet ant bee around the abdomen and take it off the ground.
Cell phone shooting, male and female velvet bees on the ground. The male velvet bee wraps the female velvet ant bee around her abdomen. The female is half as thin as the male
The male wasp wrapped around the female wasp and flew off the ground to a high branch or blade of grass to cross the tail.
Mobile phone photography, flying off the ground to a high place, on the blade of grass to cross the tail of the velvet bee
After the end of the mating, the male velvet bee then puts the female velvet bee back to the ground and leaves the female velvet bee alone to find the nest where the eggs are laid.
Velvet bees do not build hives themselves. Female velvet bees look for nests of ground bees (e.g., bees, wasps, mud bees, etc.) and lay eggs in the nests. After hatching, the larvae feed on the eggs and larvae in the nest. This trick is very powerful.
This may be the reason why the female velvet ant bee mimics the ant: it has no wings and is easy to burrow into the hive in the ground. Mimetic ants, so that the bees guarding the hive, paralyzed, can calmly enter the hive to lay eggs.
Velvet ants can sting people. When catching velvet bees, they are sometimes stung. It is said that the pain is unbearable, and the pain is unbearable.
Filming location: Sanming, Fujian
Insect name: Gaga insect net
(Original photographic graphics, sharing the joy of insect photography.) If there is a mistake, please correct and forgive, thank you for your viewing support and encouragement) Respect the original, please do not carry plagiarism!