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King Wolf, Pt. 2 - _TNY_3611

The European beewolf (Philanthus triangulum) is a crabonid wasp which hunts western honey bees. There are other Philantus species and all of them hunt various species of bees, but P. triangulum is apparently the only one that specialises in Western honey bees.

 

As adults, they are herbivores, feeding on pollen and nectar, like from this thistle at Åva-Stensjödal in Tyresta National Park, but the female hunt, paralyze and place several honey bees with her egg in an underground chamber to serve as food for the larvae once it hatches.

 

Looking at the face of this one (and much better in part 1), we can see a marking in the form of a white crown, or perhaps trident. This tells us it is a male.

 

Part 1 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52477126824/

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Uploaded on May 4, 2023
Taken on July 16, 2021