Come at me, Bro! - _TNY_3375
The male European wool carder bee (Anthidium manicatum) will fight just about anybody that comes into his territory except females of the same species.
They set the territory up on plants with hair, like this lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina) as the females use the hair to line their nests - and when they land, he pounces on them and mates.
Obviously, being stronger is better for this which has led to males of this species being significantly larger than the females, something rar in bees.
A bee's (or wasp's) stinger is actually a transformed ovipositor, ie what is used to deposit eggs, so obviously no male wasp or bee has a stinger. These guys have developed something else to help them battle rivals and other insects though.
For another shot of a male bee, also showing there barbs, have a look here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/51734990922/
And for an album of 30+ shots of this species, look here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/albums/72157667862870066
Come at me, Bro! - _TNY_3375
The male European wool carder bee (Anthidium manicatum) will fight just about anybody that comes into his territory except females of the same species.
They set the territory up on plants with hair, like this lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina) as the females use the hair to line their nests - and when they land, he pounces on them and mates.
Obviously, being stronger is better for this which has led to males of this species being significantly larger than the females, something rar in bees.
A bee's (or wasp's) stinger is actually a transformed ovipositor, ie what is used to deposit eggs, so obviously no male wasp or bee has a stinger. These guys have developed something else to help them battle rivals and other insects though.
For another shot of a male bee, also showing there barbs, have a look here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/51734990922/
And for an album of 30+ shots of this species, look here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/albums/72157667862870066