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Wild bees are the ancestors of today’s domesticated honey bees. Mostly their habitats are areas remote from human settlements – wild forests or meadows. However, from time to time, during periods of swarming, wild bees migrate and settle in close proximity to humans.
Wild bees: description with photo
Wild bees are very similar to domestic bees in terms of family structure and lifestyle, but there are some differences between these varieties. For example, the size of a wild bee is 3-4 times smaller than a domesticated one (3,5 and 12 mm, respectively).
What do wild bees look like?
Unlike striped domestic insects, wild ones are predominantly monochromatic in color. In addition, the color scheme of this species of insects is paler and less noticeable. Their wings are transparent and thin. You can see what wild bees look like in the photo below.
The head of representatives of this species is relatively large. Two complex compound eyes are rigidly fixed on it, each of which has a viewing angle of about 180 °. In addition, not on the top of the head are several simple eyes necessary for orientation to the sun.
A special chitinous strip, called the upper lip, covers the insect’s mouth apparatus. The lower lip evolved into a proboscis. The proboscis for collecting nectar in wild species is thin and relatively long. The organs of smell – antennae, have 11 or 12 segments (in males and females).
The sting, located at the end of the abdomen, is jagged, so it gets stuck in the body of the victim. When you try to pull it out, the insect also dies.
Like all social insects, wild bees have a high social organization. At the head of the colony is the queen, which is the progenitor of workers, young queens and drones. Between workers, their roles are rigidly fixed, which change depending on their age: scouts, assemblers, breadwinners, builders, etc.
The average size of a bee colony can range from 2 to 20 thousand individuals. Nevertheless, very small families can also be found, numbering no more than a dozen or hundreds of individuals, and even solitary insects.
Varieties
Bees that live in the wild are of several types:
- Solitary. They lead a solitary lifestyle: the female lays her eggs and raises the next generation alone. Usually, these species pollinate only one plant species (and, accordingly, feed only on its nectar). An example is the alfalfa bee, which is an important pollinator and is grown commercially around the world.
- semi-public. They form small families of ten individuals, the purpose of which is wintering. After wintering, the family breaks up, and each insect lives a solitary lifestyle. A typical representative is halictid bees.
- Public. They have a strict social structure, repeating the structure of domestic ones. They have a much wider list of pollinated plants and are easily retrained to another type of nectar. They have very strong immunity. They are collectively defensive and have aggressive behavior. Forest bees are a typical representative of the public. Forest bees are presented in the following photo
Where do wild bees live?
Forest bees live mainly in deep hollows of large trees or high stumps, the core of which has rotted out. Usually, the entrance to the wild hive is the hole through which the hollow comes out.
Also, wild bees can settle in crevices of rocks and cracks in dry trees, and their homes are quite difficult to find. Unlike wasps, which build their dwellings entirely from cellulose, they can only close up relatively narrow cracks with wax, so they prefer to choose ready-made structures for their dwelling with narrow passages, but with high capacity.
Features of reproduction
There are no breeding features in these insects in comparison with domestic ones, however, taking into account the longer life of the uterus, as well as about 1,5 times the number of eggs laid by it per year, swarming will occur much more often.
Where do wild bees hibernate?
There are no special wintering places for wild bees. A hive of wild bees, which in most cases is an empty tree trunk, begins to be prepared by bees for winter already from September.
The inhabitants fill all possible voids with honeycombs, which are filled with honey or, in its absence, cover their edges with wax. In addition, by the end of summer and in the first month of autumn, the second peak of the birth rate occurs in order for the family to meet the winter as large as possible.
Benefits of wild bee honey
The honey of these insects has a tart taste, a strong aroma and a greater density than the honey of “home” production. Its color is darker, sometimes reaching brown. The concentration of bee bread and wax in it is significantly higher.
Since honey plants live far from sources of environmental pollution and collect their honey from a more diverse set of plants, their honey is much more healthy and environmentally friendly compared to “homemade”. The range of application of this honey is very wide: it is used in the treatment of many diseases from acute respiratory infections to joint pain.
Due to its composition, such honey is able to last longer.
What is the difference between wild bees and domestic bees?
Despite the similarities in social structure, breeding methods and adaptability to changing ecosystems, domestic and wild bees have a large number of differences.
In addition to the color features mentioned earlier, they also differ in some anatomical features. So, the wild ones have a stronger chitinous shell, especially in the chest area, and a thicker hairline (so as not to freeze during wintering). Moreover, some species of forest insects can survive at temperatures up to -50 °C. The shape of their wings is also very specific: their front wings are much longer than the hind wings.
The flight speed of an “empty” insect is about 15% higher than that of an “empty” domestic one (70 and 60 km/h, respectively); although, when honey plants fly with a bribe, their speeds are the same (25 km/h).
Despite the similarity of behavioral instincts, wild species are more aggressive creatures and will attack any potential enemy. Their numbers allow them not to be afraid of almost any enemies. The toxicity of their venom approaches that of hornet venom, and its small volume is more than offset by the huge number of attackers.
“Wild” queens are significantly larger than their workers. The difference in weight can reach 5-7 times (for home this figure is 2-2,5 times). They live up to 7 years. In total, such a queen lays about 5 million eggs during her life, the same number in “home” queens is about 5-10 times less.
Wild species have a much stronger immunity, allowing them to withstand a huge number of parasites from which domesticated forms suffer. For example, various Akarapis or mites Evarroetim are not at all afraid of these insects.
How to tame wild bees
If a nest of wild honey bees is found, you can try to transfer them to an artificial hive, thus making an attempt to tame them. This is best done in the spring when they have little brood. You can do this at other times of the year, however, when relocating, part of the family always dies, but I would like to save as many specimens of insects as possible.
First, you should smoke the inhabitants out of their house and collect them in a carrying container. This can be done by drilling a few holes from the bottom of the “main entrance” to the dwelling. Next, a tube is inserted into the holes and smoke is supplied through it. Insects begin to get out through the exit holes, where they can be simply collected with a spoon and placed in a swarm.
When most of the workers are in the swarm, their womb needs to be moved.
However, most often, the queen leaves the hive with the worker bees when about 80% of the population has left the hive.
Then the family is transferred to the apiary and settled in the hive. It is advisable to expel honey from the honeycombs of wild bees and place it in the immediate vicinity of the hive so that the bees begin filling new honeycombs with their own honey.
Are wild bees dangerous?
Wild bees in the forest or in the field can pose a serious danger to humans, as they are much more aggressive towards intruders. In addition, wild bee venom is much more concentrated and toxic than that of their domesticated counterparts.
Bee stings can cause very painful sensations with swelling of the sting site and fever. In addition, even if a person does not have an allergic reaction to the venom of a domestic bee, this is not a guarantee that everything will be fine with a bite received from a wild bee. Most of the manifestations of pseudo-allergy are fixed precisely with the stings of wild bees.
First aid for bites
If a person is attacked by wild bees, the following must be done:
- Take out the sting.
- Squeeze out bee venom.
- Sanitize the wound (soap solution or alcohol).
- Drink an anti-allergic drug.
- Apply ice to the bite to reduce pain.
Conclusion
Wild bees, although they are dangerous neighbors, are of great benefit to nature, pollinating a large number of various forest and field plants. Due to the presence of wild bees, there are entire ecosystems, so it is highly undesirable to exterminate these insects uncontrollably. If, for some reason, wild bees have chosen a place for themselves next to a person’s dwelling, they should simply be driven out of there without the need for destruction, fortunately, there are more than enough funds for this.
