GardenBanter.co.uk - Bee identification needed, please!

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- - Bee identification needed, please! (https://www.gardenbanter.co.uk/united-kingdom/96593-bee-identification-needed-please.html)

Bee identification needed, please!

Is there a particular category that these two bees fall under?

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=22179147&size=m
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=20237855&size=m

Photographs taken in seperate locations about a week or so appart.

Any help much apreciated.

Banana :)
(Paul)

The message
from "Banana" contains these words:

Is there a particular category that these two bees fall under?

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=22179147&size=m

It's a hoverfly. One of the many species which have a protective
likeness to stinging insects. You can tell them apart because bees and
wasps have two pairs of wings and long antennae. Flies have one pair of
wings and short antennae.

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=20237855&size=m

White-tailed bumblebee I think, (Bombus lucorum)

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

"Banana" wrote in message
...
Is there a particular category that these two bees fall under?

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=22179147&size=m
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=20237855&size=m

Photographs taken in seperate locations about a week or so appart.

Any help much apreciated.

Banana :)
(Paul)

Paul, I have had some excellent advice from BWARS (Bee, Wasp and Ant
Recording Society)
Have a look at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bwars

--
ned

http://www.bugsandweeds.co.uk
last update 24.06.2005

Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:
The message
from "Banana" contains these words:

Is there a particular category that these two bees fall under?

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=22179147&size=m

It's a hoverfly. One of the many species which have a protective
likeness to stinging insects. You can tell them apart because bees and
wasps have two pairs of wings and long antennae. Flies have one pair
of wings and short antennae.

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=20237855&size=m

White-tailed bumblebee I think, (Bombus lucorum)

I don't get it, Rusty. If you look at the header on the photo it was marked
'hoverfly' so the OP clearly knew it /was/ a hoverfly and *not* a bee. So
why post here calling it a bee...?

I love bumbles - it takes a great deal, I've found, to make them sting. In
fact, I have picked them up, in my cupped hands, to release them outside
when they have stumbled into the house. Had a buff-tail sit on my arm the
other day and it was very strokable (well they are, they're all velvety!) I
have never been stung by one - obviously, stinging is a *very* last resort
as, obviously, it's suicidal.

I acutally believe that it's the Vestal cuckoo bee (Bombus vestalis
(formerly Psithyrus vestalis)).

Some good images of such can be found here
http://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/in...ll_images.html
(or http://tinyurl.com/8pwg3 if that wraps).

But what do I know - hymenoptera isn't my area of expertise.

Sarah

The message
from "Miss Perspicacia Tick" contains these words:
Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:
The message
from "Banana" contains these words:

Is there a particular category that these two bees fall under?

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=22179147&size=m

It's a hoverfly. One of the many species which have a protective
likeness to stinging insects. You can tell them apart because bees and
wasps have two pairs of wings and long antennae. Flies have one pair
of wings and short antennae.

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=20237855&size=m

White-tailed bumblebee I think, (Bombus lucorum)

I don't get it, Rusty. If you look at the header on the photo it was marked
'hoverfly' so the OP clearly knew it /was/ a hoverfly and *not* a bee. So
why post here calling it a bee...?

I didn't look at the header, I only looked at the pic.

I love bumbles - it takes a great deal, I've found, to make them sting. In
fact, I have picked them up, in my cupped hands, to release them outside
when they have stumbled into the house. Had a buff-tail sit on my arm the
other day and it was very strokable (well they are, they're all velvety!) I
have never been stung by one - obviously, stinging is a *very* last resort
as, obviously, it's suicidal.

When I was four (I know how old because we were only in that house when
I was that age) I used to catch bumblebees in my cupped hands, then let
them go. I was never stung, either. Now, I'll do the same as you, and
catch them if they've wandered into the house, and release them outside.

I acutally believe that it's the Vestal cuckoo bee (Bombus vestalis
(formerly Psithyrus vestalis)).

Maybe. I don't know that one - there are rather a lot of similar ones.

Some good images of such can be found here
http://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/in...ll_images.html
(or http://tinyurl.com/8pwg3 if that wraps).

But what do I know - hymenoptera isn't my area of expertise.

Nor mine. I've been buzzed - well, deep-hummed, really - by hornets
recently. I hope none of my neighbours feels the nest has to be found
and destroyed. They're almost as unfazed bt people as bumblebees if you
don't poke a stick into their nest...

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

"Miss Perspicacia Tick" wrote in message
...

snip
| I don't get it, Rusty. If you look at the header on the photo it was marked
| 'hoverfly' so the OP clearly knew it /was/ a hoverfly and *not* a bee. So
| why post here calling it a bee...?

Because I changed the title from Bee to Hoverfly after Rusty mentioned that is wasn't a
Bee.

Banana :)

Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:
The message
from "Miss Perspicacia Tick" contains these words:
Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:
The message
from "Banana" contains these
words:

Is there a particular category that these two bees fall under?

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=22179147&size=m

It's a hoverfly. One of the many species which have a protective
likeness to stinging insects. You can tell them apart because bees
and wasps have two pairs of wings and long antennae. Flies have one
pair of wings and short antennae.

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=20237855&size=m

White-tailed bumblebee I think, (Bombus lucorum)

I don't get it, Rusty. If you look at the header on the photo it was
marked 'hoverfly' so the OP clearly knew it /was/ a hoverfly and
*not* a bee. So why post here calling it a bee...?

I didn't look at the header, I only looked at the pic.

I love bumbles - it takes a great deal, I've found, to make them
sting. In fact, I have picked them up, in my cupped hands, to
release them outside when they have stumbled into the house. Had a
buff-tail sit on my arm the other day and it was very strokable
(well they are, they're all velvety!) I have never been stung by one
- obviously, stinging is a *very* last resort as, obviously, it's
suicidal.

When I was four (I know how old because we were only in that house
when I was that age) I used to catch bumblebees in my cupped hands,
then let them go. I was never stung, either. Now, I'll do the same as
you, and catch them if they've wandered into the house, and release
them outside.

I acutally believe that it's the Vestal cuckoo bee (Bombus vestalis
(formerly Psithyrus vestalis)).

Maybe. I don't know that one - there are rather a lot of similar ones.

Some good images of such can be found here
http://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/in...ll_images.html
(or http://tinyurl.com/8pwg3 if that wraps).

But what do I know - hymenoptera isn't my area of expertise.

Nor mine. I've been buzzed - well, deep-hummed, really - by hornets
recently. I hope none of my neighbours feels the nest has to be found
and destroyed. They're almost as unfazed bt people as bumblebees if
you don't poke a stick into their nest...

If your neighbours are inclined to think that way, simply remind them that
hornets are protected and the destruction of a nest is to leave themselves
liable to prosecution... As you state, they're (fairly) docile creatures
(unlike the common wasp which seems to sting with gay abandon for absolutely
no reason whatsoever).

I used to be a Beaver and Cub Scout leader (I used to do Brownies as well)
and where we used to take the boys camping there was a nest and you know
boys of that age, they know no fear and they would happily stand they with
them crawling up their arms. AFAICR, nobody was stung.

Miss Perspicacia Tick wrote:
I love bumbles - it takes a great deal, I've found, to make them sting.

My father attempted to prove to my mother that bumble bees don't sting
by picking one up and ramming its backside hard onto her thigh. The
attempt failed!

.... but short of /gross/ provocation, I agree -- they never sting.

In article , Miss Perspicacia
Tick writes

I love bumbles - it takes a great deal, I've found, to make them sting. In
fact, I have picked them up, in my cupped hands, to release them outside
when they have stumbled into the house. Had a buff-tail sit on my arm the
other day and it was very strokable (well they are, they're all velvety!) I
have never been stung by one - obviously, stinging is a *very* last resort
as, obviously, it's suicidal.

Is it obvious? Someone posted here the other day saying, IIRC, that
unlike honey bees, bumbles don't leave their sting behind.

--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In article , Miss Perspicacia Tick
writes
As you state, they're (fairly) docile creatures
(unlike the common wasp which seems to sting with gay abandon for absolutely
no reason whatsoever).

I've never found that with wasps. Whenever I've been stung, it's because
I've inadvertently hit, knelt on or done something else to the wasp
which it could quite reasonably consider to be a threat.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

Banana wrote:

Because I changed the title from Bee to Hoverfly after Rusty mentioned that is wasn't a
Bee.

Banana :)

I don't understand, that looks like a bee to mee.
sarah

The message
from Kay contains these words:
In article , Miss Perspicacia Tick
writes

As you state, they're (fairly) docile creatures
(unlike the common wasp which seems to sting with gay abandon for
absolutely
no reason whatsoever).

I've never found that with wasps. Whenever I've been stung, it's because
I've inadvertently hit, knelt on or done something else to the wasp
which it could quite reasonably consider to be a threat.

Oh, I have. Just walking, and nowhere near its nest (I knew where that
was, so avoided it), and this wasp just flew towards me, landed, stung,
and flew off.

Nasty small variety, a bit smaller than the usual, but not a solitary wopse.

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

Kay wrote:
In article , Miss
Perspicacia Tick writes

I love bumbles - it takes a great deal, I've found, to make them
sting. In fact, I have picked them up, in my cupped hands, to
release them outside when they have stumbled into the house. Had a
buff-tail sit on my arm the other day and it was very strokable
(well they are, they're all velvety!) I have never been stung by one
- obviously, stinging is a *very* last resort as, obviously, it's
suicidal.

Is it obvious? Someone posted here the other day saying, IIRC, that
unlike honey bees, bumbles don't leave their sting behind.

Actually, Kay, it's a common misconception. Honey bees do not leave their
stings, bumbles do. Neither do wasps as I know as one flew up my trowser leg
one summer and then proceeded to sting me about 20 times as it tried to make
its escape... I had to go to A&E for an adrenaline shot (and I'm the most
needle phobic person you're ever likely to come across!).