Cute Aggressor - _TNY_3330
The male European wool carder bee (Anthidium manicatum) protects his domains quite aggressively against other pollinating insects - and especially agains other males.
I believe this one is a female, but right before I took this shot I saw a male striking down on a smaller bee, possibly a mining bee, and literally destroyed the mining bee's left wing - essentially a death sentence. Wool-carder bee males have five spikes on the tail end of their abdomen which (obviously) can inflict significantly harm to other bugs.
This one was chilling peacefully on a house leek (Sempervivum tectorum though.
Another of the same species from the same group of flowers: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/51337910630/
Cute Aggressor - _TNY_3330
The male European wool carder bee (Anthidium manicatum) protects his domains quite aggressively against other pollinating insects - and especially agains other males.
I believe this one is a female, but right before I took this shot I saw a male striking down on a smaller bee, possibly a mining bee, and literally destroyed the mining bee's left wing - essentially a death sentence. Wool-carder bee males have five spikes on the tail end of their abdomen which (obviously) can inflict significantly harm to other bugs.
This one was chilling peacefully on a house leek (Sempervivum tectorum though.
Another of the same species from the same group of flowers: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/51337910630/