Lecture 27

Question 1

why do wasps sting?

Answer 1

Defense
Indiv
Nest
Accidental

Attack
Predation - Sting prey to bring back to nest
Nest usurpation - Conflict b/w social insects

Question 2

what type of wasps sting?

Answer 2

social wasps

a lot of resources to protect

Question 3

why do social wasps sting?

Answer 3

a lot of resources to protect

Honey 
Breeding chambers – larvae 
Attack against animals (like bears) that would go after their resources

Question 4

what type of insect has a barbed stinger?

Answer 4

honey bees

Question 5

describe what happens when a honey bee stings?

Answer 5

die once they’ve stung

stinger becomes stuck in what it stung (when stinging mammals, not other insects)

Question 6

a stinger is a modified ______

Answer 6

ovipositor

Question 7

Bees are ______ ______ wasps

Answer 7

vegetarian digger

Question 8

are wasps predators or scavengers?

Answer 8

both

Question 9

how many spp of bees in genus Trigona are obligately necrophagous?

Answer 9

3

Question 10

what are the characteristics of bees? (7)

Answer 10

Long antenna

Narrow waist

Hairy hind legs, bodies

Small compound eyes

4 wings

females have pollen on bodies

many colours (most not black & yellow)

Question 11

what are the 2 characteristics that separate wasps from bees?

Answer 11

• Less hairy bodies

* Don’t carry pollen

Question 12

what are the characteristics of flies? (6)

Answer 12

• Large compound eyes
• Small antennae
• Thick waist
• 2 wings
• Hind wings reduced
• Can be mimics of wasps & bees (Ex: black & yellow striped colouring)

Question 13

how many spp of Vespidae are there & how many are social?

Answer 13

4000 spp

1000 social (the rest solitary)

Question 14

what are ex of wasps from Vespidae?

Answer 14

o Paper wasps, hornets, yellow jackets

Question 15

describe the distribution of Vespidae

Answer 15

♣ Nearly all found in temperate regions

♣ Some European spp introduced to NA

Question 16

what wasps have an open nest?

Answer 16

paper wasps

Question 17

do the workers & queen overwinter?

Answer 17

no, just the queen

Question 18

how do the colonies of bees start out?

Answer 18

Queen constructs a spherical enclosed nest

Lay eggs that become workers

Question 19

what do the cells contain?

Answer 19

brood

Question 20

will the wasps reuse their nests?

Answer 20

no

Question 21

what are the types of nests? (4)

Answer 21

exposed cone

aerial nest

underground nest

the use of any cavities

Question 22

what type of wasp uses an exposed cone nest?

Answer 22

paper wasp

Question 23

where are aerial nests constructed?

Answer 23

cavities

Question 24

what type of nest requires excavation?

Answer 24

underground nest

Question 25

which bee has the most toxic sting?

Answer 25

honey bee

Question 26

what does the venom of a bee cause a rxn of?

Answer 26

pain & swelling

Question 27

are killer bees toxic

Answer 27

not as toxic as honey bees

sting en masse

Question 28

what effects the mortality of wasps?

Answer 28

winter kill

Question 29

what are the beneficial aspects of wasps/bee?

Answer 29

pollinators

kill other insects

Question 30

qhat are the disadvantages of bees/wasps? (6)

Answer 30

Damage plants
Sap
Bark

Damage fences, decks, property

Build nests in undesirable places

Structural damage

Nuisance pest (crops)

May be harmful to beneficial insects

Question 31

How does the giant Japanese hornet attack honey bees & how do they defend themselves?

Answer 31

Giant Japanese hornet attacks honey bee colonies en masse & destroys them

Honey bee defence: heat balling by Apis cerana – raise internal temp of wasp by having many bees smother the wasp making it too hot & killing it

Honey bees in MB cannot do this

Question 32

what factors may attract a wasp to sting a human?

Answer 32

Movement, odour & colour

Question 33

what are the methods some people use to neutralize bee stings? does this work, why or why not?

Answer 33

Onion, penny, baking soda & vinegar

None of those methods will work, the sting is internal so putting something on the surface won’t help

Question 34

what is the paper bag method? does it work?

Answer 34

Blow up a paper bag & place it around your house
Resembles a nest & deter others

doesn’t work