Module 10 Ants, Bees, and Wasps

Question 1

ants, bees, and wasps taxonomy

Answer 1

order Hymenoptera

suborder Apocrita

Question 2

family Apidae

Answer 2

honey bee and bumble bee

Question 3

family Vespidae

Answer 3

wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets

Question 4

family Formicidae

Answer 4

ants

Question 5

hymenoptera anatomy

Answer 5

small to large

wings: hamuli - modified second pair of wings; hooks that connects other two wings together
abdomen: propodeum (fused with thorax), petiole (narrowed waist), faster (enlarged terminal segment)

Question 6

ants social castes

Answer 6

queens: winged but lose wings after mating
males: winged, die after mating
workers: all female

Question 7

hymenoptera development

Answer 7

holometabolous
facultative arrhenotoky (Queen's choice): males develop from unfertilized eggs, females from fertilized
number of queens vary: polygyny (multiple) and monogyny (single)

Question 8

venom apparatus

Answer 8

venom gland: venom production
venom sac: venom storage
stinger/ovipositor: venom distribution (only in females)

Question 9

types of hymenoptera venom

Answer 9

1. small, nonproteinaceous molecules (

Question 10

ant venom

Answer 10

function: defense, prey capture, aggregation, trail marking
components: mainly proteinaceous (except for fire ants), alkaloid component (solenopsin) causes blistering after sting

Question 11

vespid (wasps) venom

Answer 11

function: cause pain, alarm pheromones
components: serotonin and kinins (cause pain), mastoparans (mast-cell degranulating peptides), and neurotoxins

Question 12

honey bee venom

Answer 12

sting autonomy: “self severing,” fatal, recurved barbs leave female genitalia behind
components: phospholipase, hyaluronidase, melittin (ruptures RBC)

Question 13

red imported fire ant

native species

Answer 13

Solenopsis geminata (Texas), S. xyloni, S. aurea

Question 14

red imported fire ant

imported species

Answer 14

Solenopsis invicta (RIFA), S. richteri (BIFA)

Question 15

importance of RIFA

Answer 15

highly invasive
community disruption
extreme damage to agriculture
millions of dollars spent annually in damage, treatment, and control

Question 16

human response to RIFA stings

Answer 16

fiery burning sensation, wheal and flare, sterile pustules in response to solenopsis, itching
generally more allergic to worker ants
2% of people have serious allergic reactions

Question 17

harvester ants

Answer 17

Pogonomyrmex spp.
3 on pain scale (more painful than FA but usually only get stung with one instead of hundreds)
nest is marked by large void and surrounded by pebbles
seed feeders

Question 18

solitary wasps families

Answer 18

Family Mutillidae - velvet ants or cow killers
Family Pompilidae - spider wasps or tarantula hawk
Family Sphecidae - mud daubers and cicada killers

Question 19

social wasp family and species

Answer 19

Family Vespidae

1. yellowjackets - Dolichovespula and vespula spp
2. hornets - vespa crabro
3. paper wasps - polistes spp (most common)

Question 20

social bees family and species

Answer 20

Family Apidae

1. bumble bees - Bombus spp (nonagressive)
2. honey bees - Apis spp (aggressive)
   - Apis mellifera: common HB
   - Apis mellifera scutellata: Africanized HB

Question 21

prevention and control

Answer 21

avoidance (protective clothing)
awareness
insecticides: aerosols, exterminator
if allergic: epi-pen, notification if you get stung