Lecture 11

Question 1

Order of Hymenoptera

Answer 1

• Sawflies
• Bees
• Wasps
• Ants
• Ecological specialists
• Herbivory
• Predators
• Parasites- Parasitoid wasps
• Pollinators

Question 2

Holometabolous

Answer 2

Adults with two pairs of wings membraneous, transparent wings with cell like veination

Question 3

Suborders of hymenoptera

Answer 3

• Symphyta: Primitive species without a constricted ‘wasps waist’
• Apocrita: More advanced species with a typical constricted ‘wasps waist’

Question 4

Suborder: Symphyta (Sawflies)

Answer 4

• Adults lack constricted wasps waist
• Caterpillar- like larvae- eucephalous and polypodous
• Herbivores
• Around 8,000 species worldwide
• Larvae similar to caterpillars

Question 5

Social Systems of hymenoptera

Answer 5

• Common nest site
• Cooperate in caring for the young
• Reproductive division of labour
• Overlap of generations

Question 6

Suborder: Apocrita

Answer 6

• Around 12,500 species

Question 7

What do predators do?

Answer 7

Kill and consume prey

Question 8

What do parasitoids do?

Answer 8

• They live at expense of another animal that eventually dies
• Two types:
  Ectoparasitoids (external)
  Endoparasitoids (internal)

Question 9

What are parasites?

Answer 9

• Live at expense of another animal but do not kill it
• Ectoparasites
• Endoparasites

Question 10

Ants

Answer 10

• Family: Formicidae
• Eusocial
• Elbowed antennae
• Farming
• Biocontrol agents eg yellow (weaver) ants
• Surgical sutures, food

Question 11

Gall wasps

Answer 11

Family: Cynipidaea

Question 12

Parasitic Hymenoptera

Answer 12

Many different families

Question 13

Wasps

Answer 13

• Family: Vespidae (social wasps)
• Common wasps- Vespa spp
• Predatory feeding habits- with a ‘sweet tooth’ for fruit

Question 14

Superfamily: Apoidae (bees)

Answer 14

• Family: Apidae (honey bees and bumble bees)
• All plant feeding (nectar and pollen)

Question 15

Why is pollination important?

Answer 15

• 85% of all flowering plants = health of natural ecosystems
• Crops = global food production
• 90% Vitamin C
• Vitamin A
• Folic Acid
• Disproportionate increase in pollinator dependent crops

Question 16

Almond Pollination

Answer 16

• 80% worlds almonds come from California
• Self compatible, but need bees even for self pollination
• 1.6 million colonies of honeybees needed (50% total US population)
• Lack habitat, pesticide use, disease

Question 17

Pollinators in Ireland

Answer 17

• Butterflies (35 species)
• Hoverflies (180 species)
• Moths, beetles and other flies
• Bees (98 species)

Question 18

Honeybee (Apis mellifera)

Answer 18

1 honeybee species

Question 19

Bumblebee (Bombus sp)

Answer 19

21 bumblebee species

Question 20

Solitary bees

Answer 20

• About 80 solitary species

Question 21

Pollinator decline

Answer 21

• 30% of bees in Ireland threatened with extinction
• 2 species extinct in the last 80 years
• Some species expanding

Question 22

Causes of pollinator decline?

Answer 22

• Habitat loss
• Pesticides
• Disease and parasites
• Non-native species
• Climate change

Question 23

Pesticide Use

Answer 23

Sprays:
- Eg. Pyrethroid
- Chemical spray and residues on flower
- Topical exposure

Seed dressing:
- Neonicotinoid
- Systemic- chemical gets into nectar and pollen
- Oral exposure

Question 24

Disease to pollinators

Answer 24

• Movement of honeybees
• Movement of bumblebees

Question 25

Pollinator conservation

Answer 25

• Habitat creation/ preservation
• Semi-natural habitats
• Nest sites
• Forage resources
• Resources throughout season
• Wildflowers
• ‘Don’t mow, let it grow”

Question 26

Summary

Answer 26

• Hymenoptera are specialised
• Parasitic wasps are most diverse, useful biocontrol
• Bees and pollination