BBC Wildlife - UK 2020-07)

BEES

60 BBC Wildlife July 2020

Q

What will help

pollinators outside

people’s gardens?

A

It would be great to encourage

wildflowers by reducing mowing

and just generally trying to protect

species-rich open habitats, rather than

grazing it all. Brownfield sites are also

really productive for insects, often

more so than greenbelt, which can be

dominated by agriculture.

Q

Do all bee species

have a sting?

A

All bees can sting... except the

stingless bees! The stingless bees

are a distinct tribe of mostly tropical

bees, the Meliponini. They can still

deter predators by biting and have

some nasty compounds in their saliva

that can cause irritation.

Also, male bees cannot sting. The

sting is actually a modified ovipositor

• egg-laying appendage – so is by
  definition only present in females.

Q

Do bees die aer

using their sting?

A

Honeybees famously die after

stinging, but this is a special

adaptation to their massive colony

sizes – an individual worker is

essentially dispensable when weighed

against the huge resource of larvae and

honey that needs to be protected.

When the honeybee sting rips

out of its body, muscles continue to

contract and pump venom into the

intruder,anda chemicalisreleased

thatattractsotherworkerstothe

defence.Otherbeesthatcansting,

suchasbumblebees,donotdiebut

livetostinganotherday.

GAVINBROADisprincipal

curatorincharge(insects)at

TheNaturalHistoryMuseum.

S P S

EES

VS

B

ees are basicallyvg

wasps. Waybackinthe

Cretaceous,somesolitary

wasps made the transition from

feeding their young on animal

(usually insect) protein to feeding

them on pollen, which is another

good source of protein and energy.

Bees are characterised by pollen-

gathering adaptations, ‘pollen

f ena scopaonth h

a specialisedventra

surfaceoftheabdomen.

also have branched seta

(hairs), whereas these ares

in wasps. Another groupofwa

the pollen wasps, has alsomade

the transition to feedingtheiryoung

on pollen, though these still look

typically waspy.

Beesusually appear

‘hairier’ or fuzzier

than wasps.

Wasps tend to

havea ‘smoother’

Getting under your

skin: a barbed sting

will get embedded

in a chosen target.

e from top right: Phil Savoie/naturepl.com; Michael Grant/Alamy; Steve Gshmeissner/Science Photo Library; Don Farrall/Getty; Getty