A large wasp-like insect with a long body: photo and name

Why do insects imitate wasps?

Wasps are forced to hunt in order to feed and raise their offspring. They are capable of attacking even smaller insects. Powerful jaws and the poison they inject into their prey help them deal with their prey. Due to the predatory characteristics of wasps, many fauna are afraid of them and prefer to stay away from dangerous predators. The weaker copies of the imitators took advantage of this.

There is also a hypothesis, confirmed by research, that some insects that imitate wasps mask color, protecting them directly from the models themselves. A striking example of this: predatory South American wasps and peaceful butterflies that accurately imitate them, which not all experts can distinguish. During the observations, it was noticed that the wasps did not attack their fellows.

There are many wasp-like insects in the world. We consider the most interesting and brightest representatives.

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Latin name of the hornet genus Vespa

means "wasp".
Initially, Linnaeus separated wasps (in the narrow sense) and hornets into a genus, which he called Vespa
.
But more than a hundred years later, in the 19th century, Carl Gustaf Thomson divided the genus Vespa
into two genera: hornets (
Vespa
) and wasps, and therefore introduced a new name for the latter
Vespula
.

Thus, in biological Latin, hornets are now called wasps ( Vespa

), and wasps (in the narrow sense) are small wasps (
Vespula
).
In folk living Latin, the common hornet was called crabro
, and there was a phraseological phrase
irritare crabrones
“to tease (=irritate) the hornets,” that is, “to add fuel to the fire.”
The word crabro
was chosen by Linnaeus as the specific name of the common hornet,
Vespa crabro
, literally “hornet wasp”, which remains to this day.

Russian word hornet

goes back to the common Indo-European name for the common hornet *krh₂sren-/*krh₂sro, as do its names in many Indo-European languages: Lat. crabro, Alb. grerë, grenzë, English. hornet, irl. cearnabhan, etc.

In turn, the common Indo-European name is probably related to the root *ḱer(h₂)-, meaning horns or head, especially the upper part. In this case, the common Indo-European name the common hornet was received either because of its movable antennae, or because of the enlarged crown, which distinguishes all hornets from other “real wasps”. The etymological connection still persists in English, where horn

is a horn, and
hornet
is a hornet.

Latin vespa

“wasp” again goes back to the common Indo-European *wobʰseh₂ “wasp”, like Russian. wasp, English wasp and wasp names in many other Indo-European languages. The etymology here is related to *h₁webʰ- “to twist”, “to weave”, that is, wasps probably once got their name due to the fact that they create paper nests (as well as hornets), although of course earlier wasps and hornets as- they were called.

Rules for dealing with a carpenter bumblebee bite

Because of their dark color, menacing hum and somewhat heavy flight, carpenter bumblebees look huge and dangerous. Therefore, the bite of such an insect immediately causes panic, which is only aggravated by pain and rapidly developing swelling in the affected area. The most important thing is to calm down, act quickly and take all possible measures to avoid unpleasant consequences.

Bite

Symptoms of a bumblebee bite

The main symptoms of a black hornet bite are not much different from the symptoms of the bite of any stinging insect. After being stung by a hornet, he appears:

• fillings at the site of the bite;
• skin redness;
• increase in temperature of the affected area.
• sharp pain, burning;
• swelling;

Symptoms appear very quickly, but how long they last depends on the individual. Some take a few hours to recover, while others take weeks.

First aid

To reduce pain and swelling, as well as prevent the development of serious consequences, competent first aid is necessary after a black hornet bite. It looks like this:

• take an antihistamine;
• treat the bite site with an antiseptic;
• Drink plenty of clean water to remove toxins from your body as quickly as possible.
• wash the wound;
• apply a cold compress;

Do not scratch the wound, burn it, or try to squeeze out the poison. If your toe's health worsens, you should seek immediate medical attention.

Consequences and allergic reaction

The main negative consequences after a hornet sting are associated with the development of allergies. In some people, the immune system reacts very strongly to the toxin entering the bloodstream. This may be expressed by the following symptoms:

• fast or too slow heartbeat;
• nausea, vomiting, diarrhea;
• high temperature, fever, chills.
• rash on the body;
• weakness, dizziness;
• severe redness and extensive swelling extending far beyond the boundaries of the affected area;
• wheezing;

In severe cases, convulsions, loss of consciousness are observed, and the likelihood of anaphylactic shock is high.

Prevention of attacks

To prevent a hornet from attacking you, just follow a few simple rules:

• Do not use perfumes with a strong smell.
• do not walk barefoot on the grass;
• do not make sudden movements, pushing away the insect;

And, of course, you shouldn’t try to destroy a hornet’s nest.

Mite

Ticks are dangerous because they carry dangerous diseases - tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease. Fortunately, not every tick is a carrier of the virus; however, it is not worth the risk, but you need to take preventive measures and protection from the consequences in advance.

For some reason, many people think that ticks live on trees and fall from them in clusters onto peacefully walking passers-by. In fact, ticks mainly live in the grass, which is where they attack their victims.

Ticks are most dangerous in May-June. With the onset of summer, the danger of transmitting viruses decreases slightly, and in September it practically disappears.

Ticks guard their victims along paths and paths. The favorite places of this insect are branches of bushes, tall grass, and small trees.

As a rule, ticks first land on the victim's legs and begin to move upward in search of a more suitable place to bite. The tick can search for a place where the skin is thinner for several hours. In their search, ticks try to get to the groin, collarbones, armpits, chest, and lower back. Unfortunately, a person does not feel the bite (there is an anesthetic substance in the tick’s saliva), and it is possible to detect the blood-sucking pest only when it has thoroughly attached itself to the body and has drunk blood.

You need to get rid of a tick immediately after it is discovered.

It is important not to tear off his head - it cannot be left in the human body. After removal, you must submit the tick to a laboratory so that it can be checked for infection.

How to remove a tick

Step 1. The body of the tick is grabbed with tweezers, which are held strictly perpendicular to the surface of the skin, slightly pressing into it.

Step 2

The tweezers are rotated 360 degrees along with the tick and the insect is carefully pulled out, then placed in a jar or other container

Step 3. The bite site is treated with iodine or any other alcohol solution.

Many people recommend putting a drop of oil on the tick. This cannot be done - the tick will suffocate and the head will remain in the skin. You also cannot pull a tick with your fingers for the same reason - you can tear off its head.

To protect yourself, doctors recommend getting vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis. There is no vaccine for Lyme disease. The best prevention is the right clothing: long sleeves, high shoes, thick fabric, trousers tucked into boots, etc., as well as the use of repellents.

After returning from the dacha or forest, be sure to inspect each other for ticks.

Hornets and bees

Hornets are omnivores by nature. They feed mainly on the sweet pulp of various fruits, but are also predators. These giant wasps feed their larvae with captured and killed insects, and the adults themselves are not averse to eating a captured beetle or bee.

To a large extent, these are very useful creatures for humans. A colony of these striped hunters, settled near a gardener’s house, is able to protect the crop from the most harmful insects. Hornets are at the top of the invertebrate food chain and can carry half a pound of live food per day to feed themselves and their larvae.

But in an apiary environment, the benefit of these predators ends. Hornets are a beekeeper's real poison. The bee and the hornet are prey and hunters. Hornets and bees are ancient and primordial enemies, because one of the main hunting objects of this giant wasp is the honey bee. Raised on dead bees (as well as wasps), their larvae receive all the nutrients necessary for development.

Bees are practically defenseless against hornets. If a research wasp notices the presence of a hive on the territory, without protective measures on the part of the beekeeper, the hive is doomed. Even a huge hornet can destroy dozens of bees by tearing them apart with its jaws and using a fatal sting.

The main source of hornet invasion into a hive is not the bees themselves, but the honey. The sweet substance is a real wealth for wasps, which are capable of feeding the entire colony in abundance.

Bees have only one effective method of fighting a hornet. By attacking a wasp in a swarm and constantly enclosing it in a bright and vibrant “cocoon,” the bees can kill the enemy by creating overheating conditions inside this trap, created by the bees themselves, constantly moving around the wasp.

Features of the genus

So who are the hornets? The genus Hornets belongs to the family of true wasps. That is why representatives of this genus fit well into the external structure inherent in ordinary wasps. At the same time, there are some differences that will not allow these, although close, but still different taxonomic groups of Hymenoptera insects, to be confused.

What does a hornet look like next to a wasp? Large hornets differ from other wasps primarily in their large size. The size of an insect such as a hornet ranges from 1.8 to 5.5 cm in length, depending on the species. In addition, the wingspan of these largest wasps in the world can reach 8 cm, and this large wasp, in addition to its serious size, has very powerful and impressive jaws, which are also different from most other wasps.

Among the differences between representatives of the hornet genus and other wasps, some color differences should also be mentioned. The hornet insect has a striped abdomen, like most wasps. Moreover, if the color of the wasp is dominated by only two colors, namely black and yellow, then the color of the hornet is slightly darker, and orange and brown shades have found their place in the color palette.

Well, we can't ignore the unpleasant part of the story about this huge wasp, which concerns the main weapon of these stinging hymenoptera. It's no secret that wasps tend to use their stings when in danger.

However, it must be said that a hornet’s bite performs not only the function of an injection needle to cure an arrogant enemy with a portion of poison. It is also a reduced insect ovipositor.

This insect's sting is longer than that of a common wasp and delivers a higher dose of venom than that of a bee, hornet or most wasps, making this diminutive "tiger" a formidable opponent to any living creature that has drawn its wrath.

Therefore, cinematic epithets like “murder hornets” are often and, it must be said, not unreasonably used in relation to these insects, which are not too arrogant, but, of course, are able to fend for themselves.

Degree of toxicity of the poison

Regardless of the type of wasp, the structure of the sting has identical characteristics, but the nature of the bite and the consequences depend on the toxicity of the poisonous secretion.

• The hornet is the largest wasp and its sting is quite painful. In addition, the hornet has a fairly toxic poison that can seriously harm human health. The Asian hornet kills a person prone to allergies in a few minutes. Every year, up to 50 people die from hornet stings in countries such as Japan and China. The nature of the bite is comparable to the penetration of a hot nail into a person’s skin. There are no such dangerous insects in our territories, but a person can die after 5 bites of such insects if help is not provided in a timely manner.
• Scolia giants are also among the largest wasps on the planet. It should be noted that their sting is small, and the poison is not toxic to humans. In the case of a scolius bite, short-term numbness of the bite site is possible, for several minutes. Only allergy sufferers or children who still have a weak immune system can suffer from a bite of this species. These insects are not aggressive, so they prefer not to participate in various conflict situations, including with humans. In addition, scolias are not considered social insects and do not live in large families, so numerous insect bites are not a threat.
• Philants are among the most harmless creatures representing the wasp family. They live deep in the earth, in burrows they have dug. These insects also have a second name - bee wolves, since adult individuals are capable of destroying bee colonies, since bees form the basis of their diet. The larva eats 5 bees to become an adult. As a rule, bee wolves attack their prey in flight, inserting a stinger into it, which leads to paralysis of the insect. After this, they eat their prey or take it to their nest. Philants live in the ground, and they can easily find their nest at any distance.
• Pompylids are wasps with a long sting and a potent venom. Therefore, the bites of these wasps are quite painful. These insects are quite aggressive and attack at the slightest sign of aggression towards them. More than 150 species live on our territory. Adult individuals grow up to 3 cm in length and lead an isolated lifestyle, without creating nests or numerous families. Eggs are laid on spiders. After hatching, the larva eats the spider from the inside. The sting of these aggressive insects is quite powerful and strong.

It is very important to know what to do if a wasp does bite you. This is especially true in relation to those people in whom the body reacts very violently to the action of insect poison, causing severe consequences, and sometimes fatal

TOP 10 Largest insects in the world! (Photo)

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10- ASIAN HORNET

Our best giant Vespa is opening! The largest wasp is Vespa mandarinia, also known as the Asian hornet. Don't be surprised that the title went to the Hornet. This insect is a representative of the family of true wasps. Lives in the Middle Kingdom, Japan, Korea. Numerous populations occur in the Primorsky Krai in Russia.

The largest wasp in the world reaches 5.9 cm in length, and its wingspan is 7.5 cm. If you place such an individual on the palm, the wings will completely cover its surface. It is not for nothing that nature has awarded this species with impressive size.

9-The largest grasshopper in the world.

Giant Weta

(lat. Deinacrida heteracantha) is considered the largest and heaviest insect in the world. Local residents call this insect “Wetapunga”, which can be translated as “deity of monsters”.

The appearance of the giant cricket has not changed for several million years. These huge wingless creatures, which cannot jump, have a plump brown body and large dark button eyes.

The weta is over ten centimeters long and weighs almost 70 grams, reaching sexual maturity at the age of one and a half years. A pregnant weta weighs more than a sparrow! The female lays 200-300 eggs.

8-Huge cockroach!

This is the heaviest and one of the largest cockroaches in the world. A very popular and rare species. The habitat of these cockroaches is North Queensland, Australia. In nature, they live in the forest floor or dig burrows up to 1 meter deep in the sand, in which they spend most of the day.

The height of adult individuals can reach 9 cm, and weight – 35 grams. Life expectancy is very high and ranges from 7 to 10 years!

7-Beetle with a palm!

The royal goliath beetle belongs to the subfamily of the bronze family of the lamellar family of the order Coleoptera.

close to the cockchafer. The size of the goliath beetle is from 60 to 110 mm, width up to 60 mm. The female has a body length from 50 to 80 mm, width from 40 to 50 mm.

6- Giant water bugs

These giants live in tropical countries, for example, in the countries of South America, East Asia (India), Southeast Asia (Thailand), representatives of this family are also found in North America (for example, Florida), where local residents gave them their name - “ crocodile ticks." They are usually found in ponds and freshwater streams.

Giant aquatic insects can reach a length of 15 centimeters. They belong to the family belostomatidae, which differs from species in other families in that their hind legs are designed for swimming rather than walking.

5- Giant representative of stick insects

These are perhaps the most unusual insects, if only because 95 years ago they were already considered completely extinct. This is a lobster or giant Australian stick insect (Dryococelus Australis). It is he who challenges the palm to be the longest insect in another species of New Guinea: Eurycantha calcarata (spiny devil or spiny stick insect).

Discovered giant Australian stick insects (their size is 12 cm long and 1.5 cm wide) on Lord Howe Island in 1788. But, like many of the animals that lived there, the discovery of the island by man brought destruction.

4-Chinese mantis

The homeland of Chinese mantises is China. Since 1985, it has been introduced to North America, where it has spread widely and become a serious pest. Natural enemy is the Asian giant hornet.

this is a fairly large insect - usually reaching a length of 10-15 cm. Body color varies from olive green to brownish.

3- Lumberjack Titan Beetle

Collectors are willing to shell out $650 to $1,000 or more (depending on size) for a dried titanium lumberjack. True, you will have to catch it in the dark, since these beetles are nocturnal. With the onset of dusk, they begin to crawl out from under their daytime shelters - rotten stumps, snags or litter - in order to get to the nearest hill and fly away about their business.

The largest beetle in the world is the titan woodcutter (lat. Titanus giganteus), whose body length can reach 22 cm. This is true, according to the famous entomologist Martins, who immediately caught and released an adult specimen 22 cm long.

2- Long-legged mosquitoes

Long-legged or caramor mosquitoes are insects from the Diptera family of the long-tailed suborder. Their preferred habitat is forests near freshwater bodies of water and swamps. Adults feed on plant nectar, while larvae feed on rotting plants.

Holorusia brobdignagius, the largest of the caramoras, grows up to 23 centimeters in length when the limbs are extended behind and in front of its small body. This value allows us to consider this Chinese centipede the longest of its kind.

1-Butterfly

Queen Alexandra butterfly.

It is located at an altitude of 155 m above sea level in coastal lowland forests and small gorges along the rivers of the Gold Province near the Popondetta Valley. The butterfly development cycle lasts four months. An adult lives no more than three months. During their lives, females lay 27 bright blue eggs, from which caterpillars then emerge. They have a velvety black color and a longitudinal cream stripe reaching 12 cm in length.

The wingspan of this miracle of nature can reach 27 centimeters.

One source

Necrophages

Necrophagous flies The names of fly species can often be misleading. Such a species as the “dust fly” does not exist in nature. This name most often hides lucilia, which belongs to the group of necrophages. In the garbage dumps themselves, you can find any synanthropic species, including fruit flies. The group of necrophagous flies of the most famous flies includes:

• Lucilia (green);
• gray meat;
• blue meat

They all feed on animal carcasses, but also include food scraps, plant juices and excrement in their diet.

Lucilia

A very common and well-known emerald green fly, capable of laying eggs on meat left unattended for a couple of minutes.

They often lay eggs in open wounds, where larvae begin to develop by eating rotting flesh. The main habitat of these dipterans near human habitation is slaughterhouses. But larvae can also develop in animal excrement. It takes 1-2 days for the larvae to develop from the egg.

Blue meat

Medium sized insect. Distributed across all continents. Like the green one, it prefers slaughterhouses and decaying meat.

Gray meat

One of the most dangerous carrion flies. Outwardly, it is similar to an ordinary indoor one, but larger and with clearly visible bright red eyes on its head. The species is viviparous. The female only needs to touch the meat with her belly to lay the larva. When emerging, the larva immediately begins to bite into the meat. The location of the larvae's penetration can be determined by the appearance of liquid from decomposing meat.

Hover flies

Hoverflies, like hoverflies, are a large family with about 6,000 species. Some of them look more like bees, others like wasps, and others like bumblebees. They live everywhere except Antarctica, deserts and tundra. They got their name from the characteristic sound made by their wings.

Interesting! Syrphidologists study hoverflies. They also organize special symposiums on fly research.

A striped insect similar to a wasp, completely harmless to humans. It can often be found on plantations of dill, carrots, parsley, and flowering plants in the garden. Adult hoverflies feed exclusively on flower nectar and pollen and occupy an honorable place among pollinating insects

Lifestyle, nutrition, reproduction

Adult insects are very easy to control; they can very abruptly change direction to the exact opposite. Due to the rapid movement of its wings, the fly often gets stuck in one place and appears to hover in the air above the flowers, as if choosing which one has the most treats.

The larvae are voracious and the older they become, the more actively they feed. They feed mainly on small harmful insects: caterpillars, beetles, spider mites, small butterflies and aphids. The latter are literally sucked alive. A hoverfly larva can suck up to 200 aphids in one day, and one can imagine what benefits a whole brood of such larvae will bring to the garden. It is on plants affected by aphids that an accumulation of hoverfly larvae is often observed. In addition, the larvae can be located in the nests of other insects, rotten and rotten wood, and on large plants.

Hoverflies also overwinter in the larval stage. In the spring, pupae emerge from them, and by the end of June, young individuals begin their year in July.

During courtship of females, males hover in the air above them and make a sound similar to muttering. A similar but slightly different sound can be heard by hoverflies at other times, hence their popular name: hoverflies. Mating of these flies can occur right in the air. In addition, males defend their territory by driving away rivals.

Typhia

This family contains, according to various sources, from thirty to fifty species.

Typhia has an elongated abdomen and a dark color. The black stripes of the abdomen are wider than the yellow ones, and the body is entirely black. There are species that are exclusively black in color. This wasp when frightened

characteristically curls, bending the abdomen inward. The legs of males are brownish. In females it is dark red. The length ranges from fifty to one hundred and thirty millimeters.

Most often, wasps can be found on plant umbrellas. For example, sitting on dill.

This insect feeds mainly on nectar. It also happily licks the secretions of aphids.

Reproduction occurs through the attachment of an egg to a beetle larva. Typhias parasitize mainly on the bread beetle and the beetle. As the larva grows, it bites into the chitinous cover of the host and gradually sucks it out. Then it climbs inside and pupates. The adult comes out with the onset of next spring.

By destroying pests of cultivated plants, wasps bring significant benefits to agriculture. Infection with bread beetle larvae leads to a decrease in the number of this pest.

Range: European part of Russia and Western Europe.

Due to its large size, it can sting painfully, causing an allergic reaction and swelling at the site of the bite.

Wasps are amazing insects. A person cannot be indifferent to them. They can cause fear and disgust, be similar to the “classic” striped wasps we are used to or not resemble them at all, be beneficial or be pests. But almost always, regardless of the attitude towards them, wasps serve as the object of close observation and study.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=gbmZGY4Z58Y

Lifestyle and habitat of carpenter bumblebees

The carpenter hornet is a heat-loving insect, which explains its habitat, which includes:

• Belarus;
• southern and western regions of Russia;
• Caucasus.
• Türkiye;
• Near East;
• Southern Europe;
• Ukraine;
• Crimea;

Bumblebee years begin in mid-spring and last until the end of September. Insects nest in the forest. These can be dry logs or tree branches, poles, wooden buildings. Insects gnaw passages up to 30 cm long, in which they form a dwelling of 10 - 12 adjacent cells. The partitions between the cells are made of wood crushed by a hornet.

Carpenter bumblebees prefer to settle in open spaces, always choosing the sunny side. Insects live alone or in small colonies consisting only of females, preferring silence and solitude. They settle near people only when necessary, when there is no other suitable place nearby to settle and build a nest.

Hematophagous

In horseflies, females differ from males in that humans usually do not even see the latter. Male horseflies feed on nectar and do not attack mammals.

Some species of horseflies have green eyes, which is why they are often confused with others with green eyes - aphagous gadflies.

All obligate hematophages have mouthparts adapted to obtain blood.

Facultative hematophages are not able to independently obtain blood from the victim’s body. They feed on secretions of the skin and mucous membranes. They willingly drink blood protruding from fresh wounds. In addition to secretions, they feed on mammal excrement and plant juices. The larvae develop in excrement.

A typical representative of a facultative hematophage is the market fly, which is very similar to the house fly, but lives only in the southern regions. Distributed throughout Central Asia and Transcaucasia. In Russia it lives in the subtropical zone.

Striped fly

The wasp-shaped Darkstoma is a large fly from the soaring family that closely resembles a wasp. The long body (up to 18 mm) has 2 transparent wings. In the center of the dark head there is a shiny stripe and a red mustache. Fine golden hairs on chest and shield. The oval abdomen is covered with yellow-black transverse stripes.

Attention! Sometimes the marks merge, leaving a narrow brown spot.

Wasp flies live in deciduous forests filled with rotting vegetation. Found in river valleys and mountains. Core darkening is widespread:

• Greenland;
• Asia;
• America.
• Europe;
• North Africa;

Mimicry

As already mentioned, syrphids are very similar in appearance to stinging insects - wasps, bees, bumblebees. The hoverflies seem to be camouflaged as them, and their striped black and yellow coloring helps them in this. But upon closer examination, you can notice the difference:

• syrphids have much shorter antennae (for example, a wasp has antennae up to 1 cm);
• they are smaller than wasps, bees, etc. (excluding especially large species);
• they have 1 pair of wings, while the stinging ones have 2.

But even with these minor differences, nothing prevents syrphids from feeling quite at ease and boldly in nature: their external imitation (mimicry, from the English word mimicry - disguise, imitation) of dangerous stinging insects is so believable that few birds risk attacking them, especially if you have already had a sad experience of contact with a wasp. But all this is despite the absolute harmlessness and even some defenselessness of the syrphids.

Nature has endowed these flies with such a coloring, thanks to which they may not be afraid of attacks from enemies. Hence several more popular names for hoverflies: bee-eater, wasp-fly, wasp fly, etc.

The closer it gets to autumn, the more painfully the flies bite. Sometimes it seems that these are not tiny insects, but a real tiger that has grabbed your leg. Especially when you notice the shifty bully too late and give him time to prepare a full-fledged “strike.”

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Predator

A black beetle that looks like a solitary earth wasp. The insect has an elongated body and mustache. The resemblance to a wasp is revealed by its striped abdomen. The top is covered in black, covered with wings, and the bottom has broad black and yellow stripes clearly visible.

The predatory insect itself is a predator and easily attacks even poisonous spiders. Spreads everywhere. The brightest representatives live in tropical countries. Active at night, hidden during the day.

Some species feed on human blood and warm-blooded animals and are susceptible to destruction. Most of them attack insects and spiders. It is highly durable. He can stay in a shelter for a long time, waiting for a victim. As soon as he sees her, he immediately rushes to attack. Shut the trunk, throw away the toxic substance. The poison instantly paralyzes the victim.

The same behavior is observed on the street of the ground wasp. These representatives of the wasp family are called predators due to the need to lay eggs in the body of the prey. The larvae burrow into the belly and eat from the inside. Until the end of the cycle, only the shell of the beetle, spider, and large larvae remains.

The danger posed by gadflies

The gadfly is another species of fly dangerous to humans. These insects live mainly near animal pastures, since they are their main target. Unlike their biting relatives, they do not feed on the blood of other creatures. Moreover, scientists have recently discovered that adults do not need food at all. The reserves they acquired while at the larval stage are quite enough for them.

However, a completely justified question arises: why do they bite animals? The fact is that when they bite, they lay their eggs under the skin of the victim, thereby providing them with an excellent source of food. Let's be honest, after the larvae hatch from the eggs, the poor animal experiences terrible pain, as they literally eat his body from the inside.

But the main danger is that gadflies can lay their eggs on human skin. Even if this happens rarely, the consequences of this accident are extremely sad. After all, the only reliable way to get rid of larvae is to partially remove the infected area of ​​flesh.

Habitats

Black wasps can live almost anywhere except in extremely harsh climates. Since insects live in the ground, it is important that they find loose soil suitable for digging, but the earth should not crumble, otherwise the home will be unstable. Wasps usually settle in a mixture of clay, sand and limestone; it is this composition that provides all the needs of insects.

In Russia, terrestrial species can be found in fields, forests, roadsides, gardens, orchards, and summer cottages.

Black insects often settle near residential buildings. In the yard, wasps destroy flies and spiders and pollinate plants, which provide significant assistance to humans.

1. Cryptochilus lives in Central Asia, Crimea, and Transcaucasia. I love rocky areas. These wasps are distinguished by their orange wings and yellow stripes on their abdomen.
2. The tarantula inhabits South America. This is a very large wasp, 5 cm long, and the sting reaches 7 mm. The larvae of such pompilids mature longer than those of other terrestrial wasps and feed on the body of the poisonous tarantula.
3. The red-bellied road wasp is found in central Eurasia. Its abdomen is covered with red spots, from which this species gets its name. The larvae are fed by a wolf spider.

Spreading

Close-up photo of an anthill

Insects are ubiquitous, as mentioned above. There are almost no unsuitable habitats for them. Beetles, butterflies, and spiders have mastered the tundra, deserts, and inaccessible mountain peaks. Invertebrates can even be found in the crater of a volcano, where they feel quite comfortable. But most of them are in the tropics. One of the important factors in the conquest of planet Earth by insects is climate and food connections, because if sucking insects find food in almost any corner of the world, then phytophages need plants, and of the species that they are accustomed to feeding on. As soon as any type of tree or grass disappears from the face of the earth, insects disappear after it, because they cannot feed themselves.

Also, many insects are unable to move to a food source on their own. People often help them in this, often to their own detriment. Thus, along with potatoes, the Colorado potato beetle was introduced, which became perfectly accustomed to the European climate and expanded its diet to include not only potatoes, but also eggplants, sweet peppers, and tomatoes.

Some insects originally lived on land, but during the process of evolution, they preferred water space. Now they live in small fresh water bodies (lake, pond), but sometimes they are also found in the sea (sea water strider).

How to get rid

A wasp sting is more dangerous for children and people with individual intolerance. If the insect nest is located near your home, then it is better to get rid of it. This can be done both with the help of chemicals and with the help of a mechanical method of control.

Chemical control

Most often, chemicals are found in the form of aerosols. The concentrated insecticide does not poison the soil and is practically safe for humans.

The most popular are:

• Throw A strong, odorless drug. It has a long-lasting effect, as it remains active for 5-6 months after spraying.
• Mosquito. Spraying should be done strictly in open space. If it is necessary to spray the hole, the dose is reduced by 2-3 times.

Karbofos and Tropsil are no less popular.

Physical methods

The nest must be removed from the seal wearing a protective suit or after pre-treating the area with chemicals. If the nest is in the ground, you can dig up an area and pour boiling water over it.

When it is necessary to attract adult individuals, sweet traps are used. They are made from a plastic bottle and compote or fruit drink. The bottle is cut in half, and the top is placed neck down on the bottom, where the sweet liquid is poured.

Are larvae harmful?

The hoverfly larva is a dangerous pest that damages plants such as:

• onion;
• garlic;
• tulips;
• gladioli;
• hyacinths;
• daffodils;
• potato;
• sugar beet.

The larva penetrates the underground part of the plant and damages it. Sometimes only the outer shell remains of the bulb. Gradually, a fungal or bacterial infection joins the mechanical damage caused by voracious insects. As a result, the bulb begins to rot, the plant weakens, withers, dries, its growth and development stops.

Prevention and safety measures against flies

First of all, there is always a basic rule of hygiene, which concerns not only hand washing, but also the proper handling of food before eating it.

It is important to keep household items and utensils in good condition. If there is food left on the table in the summer, it must be covered with a special lid, mesh, or placed in an airtight container. If flies enter the house, it is necessary to carry out special treatment with repellents

If a spawning site is discovered, it must be thoroughly treated with chlorine-containing agents and chemical aerosols against these insects.

If flies get into the house, it is necessary to carry out special treatment with repellents. If a spawning site is discovered, it must be thoroughly treated with chlorine-containing agents and chemical aerosols against these insects.

It is necessary to take care of the place where the garbage container is located - this area must be kept clean. Road toilets must be equipped with special drains for draining water and basic cleaning of the premises. For stables and other premises intended for raising livestock, there are special traps for winged parasites. These are sticky tapes, hanging feeders with a sticky bottom, which catch insects.

Compliance with basic hygiene rules, focusing on the condition of products and storage methods, carrying out the necessary treatment of the room from harmful arthropods - all this will allow you to protect your home and the people living in it from discomfort and the danger of contracting infectious diseases. Sensitive proboscis. The insect's proboscis also contains highly sensitive food chemical analyzers

At the end of the fly's body there is a special pad called the “labellum”. It is closely connected with the receptor endings on the paws. When a positive signal is received from the receptors, the fly's proboscis extends forward and begins to consume food.

The insect's proboscis also contains highly sensitive analyzers for the chemical composition of food products. At the end of the fly's body there is a special pad called the “labellum”. It is closely connected with the receptor endings on the paws. When a positive signal is received from the receptors, the fly's proboscis extends forward and begins to consume food.

Sensitive proboscis. The insect's proboscis also contains highly sensitive analyzers for the chemical composition of food products. At the end of the fly's proboscis there is a special pad called the labial. It is closely connected with the receptor endings on the paws. When a positive signal is received from the receptors, the fly's proboscis extends forward and begins to consume food.

Olfactory organs. Flies have well-developed olfactory organs: they react as quickly as possible to the presence of even a very faint odor from a source located at a distance. It is thanks to their very sensitive sense of smell that insects can immediately detect themselves in fresh feces or in a pile of garbage.

Popular wild wasps

What types of cockroaches are found in a house or apartment?

Despite the fact that more than 4,600 species of cockroaches are known, only a few representatives of these insects can be found in houses and apartments. In our climatic conditions, only four types of cockroaches have firmly established themselves: red, black, American and furniture.

To recognize the one that has settled in your home among the described individuals, it is worth getting to know them better.

Red cockroach

This type of parasite is most often found in apartments and houses. The common people call them Prussians. They are difficult to get rid of, but can be found in almost any living space:

• in multi-storey buildings, the private sector;
• in catering establishments;
• in hospitals;
• on street buildings;
• at country dachas.

Representatives of this species are omnivores and feed not only on fresh, but also spoiled foods. They penetrate into refrigerators, bread bins, kitchen furniture, etc.

These parasites reproduce intensively, so the fight against them is usually long-term.

Black beetle

Another striking representative of this order, living in residential premises, is the black cockroach. It comes from basements, sewers and trash cans. The reproduction rate of representatives of this species is higher than that of Prussians.

You can find them where there is at least some food:

• behind the stove;
• under the kitchen unit;
• under the refrigerator;
• in a trash can;
• in the pantry.

The presence of black cockroaches indicates poor sanitary conditions in the premises. The main danger that comes from parasites of this species is due to their lifestyle. Moving through garbage containers and dirty sewers, they carry many infections and pathogenic bacteria into the house on their paws.

Important! Scientists have proven that individuals of this species are active spreaders of hundreds of microorganisms and carry diseases such as ulcers, cholera and E. coli

American cockroach

The homeland of this species of cockroach is Africa, and from there it came to Europe and America along with goods transported by sea. Thus, insects quickly spread throughout the world.

American cockroaches are heat-loving insects, but they have been able to adapt to our climatic conditions. This type of parasite is distinguished by its great mobility and even to some extent aggressiveness, from which sleeping people and pets can suffer.

Representatives of this species cannot tolerate low temperatures, so they die at 0°C.

Furniture cockroach

The first individuals of this species were discovered in the middle of the last century in the central regions of Russia. Furniture cockroaches are characterized by a bright red color and wings with brown stripes.

Most often, individuals of this species are attracted to food that contains starch. Nests of these parasites can be found in libraries, archives (the spines of old books are rich in wallpaper glue) and other places where there is a source of their saturation.

Butterflies in the form of wasps

The large wasp-like insect could be an ordinary glass butterfly. However, this is noticeable not only in airy, fluttering creatures. Most of them are distinguished by transparent wings. And if not for the contrasting edge, it would be impossible to visually determine the presence of wings.

The most common in the European part are poplar, currant and apple trees. The insect is associated with a wasp only by its bright yellow body color with veins and by its method of flight. Otherwise, it is a typical garden pest. The female lays eggs under the bark scales near the buds. After a few days, caterpillars appear, gnaw holes on the shoots and penetrate deep into the plant. They gnaw through the core, gradually descending to the base of the tree or bush. After overwintering, they continue to eat the plant from the inside. And although the insect, which looks like a wasp, does not bite a person, the harm from it is significant. The offspring are located inside the trunks and branches, so it is necessary to fight the emerging pest only in a radical way - by cutting and destroying the affected areas.

An interesting picture is presented by the mating games of glass butterflies. The males gather in a circle near the female and begin to flutter around the woman, as if surprising her with their skills and showing themselves in all their glory. The female can only choose the individual she likes.

Climaciella brunnea

The insect, very similar to a wasp, with a long body, has huge limbs like a praying mantis. A member of the praying mantis family, it can be recognized by its slender, graceful body, colored brown with yellow horizontal stripes. Predators have well-developed wide front paws with which they catch prey. Males live only in the spring before mating.

Willow ribbonwort - twilight guest

freenatureimages.eu. Catocala electa, wingspan – 65-88 mm

The second name of this butterfly is willow ribbon. The insect leads a crepuscular lifestyle, so you are unlikely to see it during the day. The butterfly's front wings are gray and inconspicuous, but the lower wings are bright red with black edging and spots in the middle. Moreover, in males the raspberry shade predominates, and in females it is red. The Ribbonwort can also be seen in the fall. It is most often found near bodies of water, in meadows and wetlands. It feeds on tree sap.

pyrgus.de

Caterpillars of the willow tapeworm are perfectly camouflaged. The yellow-gray body is covered with small black dots, the head is brown. The insect feeds on willow and poplar leaves, so it does not harm garden crops. But if you have a willow growing on your site, be vigilant.

How to attract a ribbon girl. It would seem that the insect is nocturnal - why attract it? You can do this at least just to see this amazing butterfly. In the evening, turn on a flashlight or other artificial light source - and the ribbon fly will come to visit you.

Red Reaper Ant: 3.0

The red harvester ant is a great service for farmers as it feeds on many pests. These ants have a nearly square head with a relatively long, spineless body, and their reddish-orange color distinguishes them from other ant species. The good news is that they are reluctant to attack, even if their bite hurts. Schmidt describes the bite of these ants as bold and merciless, and the sting feels like a puncture in an ingrown toenail. According to the pain index, the pain from a harvester ant bite is 3.0 points

Plants may sneeze

The leaves of some plants, such as wheat, are superhydrophobic. This means that they are excellent at getting rid of moisture, along with dust and dirt that has fallen on them, due to the design of the sheet surface. Small droplets quickly and easily roll down, and the excess energy of the surface tension of these droplets is converted into kinetic energy. It is she who causes the leaf to move slightly and throws other drops from it. Scientists called it a "sneeze" or a "surface tension catapult." This is a wonderful way to cleanse yourself, but, unfortunately, it causes the spread of plant diseases, since the infected ones “sneeze” and, together with the water, push away spores of fungi and mold, which can cause illness.

Bee

Wasp-like insects are bees. They are extremely often confused with each other. The bee and the wasp have some similarities in their lifestyle, and they also sting no less painfully. The bee is round in shape, the head and chest are gray-black with thick, long yellow hairs. The legs are massive, long whiskers are clearly visible. A striking feature is the absence of a “wasp waist” - a thin bridge between the chest and abdomen. The color is yellow-black, but the stripes are narrower and covered with yellow fibers.

Bees feed exclusively on nectar and form honeycombs from wax, which they produce themselves. Thanks to their ability to reproduce honey, they have long been domesticated and live in hives. It is periodically attacked by the aspen family. This fact refutes the claim that wasps do not attack their own species. The similarity in color must be explained by something else

Regular or black T-shirt

About 30 mg of poison, which is contained in the blood of this beetle, will be enough to kill a person. If this poison gets on the skin, burns and blisters will appear that do not heal for a long time. If the poison gets into the blood, it will lead to disruptions in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, and liver. Mikes mainly live in the Caucasus and southern regions of Russia. In the middle zone you can find no less dangerous varieties of these beetles - a rich green Spanish fly and a beetle that resembles a ladybug, only with an elongated body. It is better not to come into contact with these insects. But if suddenly their secretions do get on the skin, this area should be washed quickly and well with soap and water. And monitor your condition: if you start to feel dizzy and feel nauseous, consult a doctor immediately.

Description of appearance

The black wasp is medium or large in size – 15-50 mm. The head, chest, and abdomen are dark with stripes, yellow, white, red, and purple spots. The wings are dark, smoky, folded parallel to the body.

The legs are long, thin, with hollowed out ridges in front. Hind tibia with spines and tubercles.

The Black Wasp is not an enemy with whom you can compete without prior preparation and thoughtful protection. A person will remember his bite for the rest of his life and literally avoids all dark flying insects.

On the small head, eyes and small antennae are clearly visible. Pompylids have a powerful sting, with which they calmly pierce the shell of large insects of their larvae. A photo of a black wasp is presented below. Color depends on the species.

Water bugs

These are not harmless “stinkers” that live on plants and drink sap. Water bugs are merciless and very fast predators. Their victims become everyone whom the individual is able to cope with.

Belostomatids

Giant water bugs, with a body shape similar to the smooth one known in Russia. Color black. Truly infernal creatures. It’s not just their size that is frightening: these individuals can grow up to 15 cm. All bugs fly well and belostomatids are no exception. The front legs of a predatory water bug have turned into a spear-trap. They feed on small fish and lizards. They may eat a young turtle. These creepy insects can bite very painfully. The largest and scariest members of the water bug family live in tropical regions. Belostomatids, which are somewhat smaller in size, are common in Central and North America, as well as Australia.

Few people know that giant water bugs are also found in Russia. The species Lethocerus deyrollei lives in the Amur region, Japan, Korea and China. The size of this bug is relatively small: 5-6.5 cm. The species belongs to the relict species and is on the verge of extinction.

Water bugs

Gladysh

The small “relative” of belostomatids has the same qualities as large water bugs. Externally, it is a reduced copy of belostomatids. Even the smoothie bites very painfully. But the size of the wasp bug is only 1.5 cm, which saves a person from the serious consequences of a bite.

Longhorn beetle

Plagionotonus, a member of the longhorned beetles, imitates the coloration of wasps. Outwardly it resembles an insect. Hard chitinous fur, the body is oblong, the head is clearly visible, the whiskers are very long and curled. There are no transparent wings, the insect rarely flies. Color black and yellow with stripes.

The body length of an adult reaches 22 mm. The female lays eggs in the forest. During its life, it reproduces about 100 thousand individuals of its species. The larvae gnaw through numerous tunnels and damage the tree. Transformation into an adult takes a long time - up to 10 years. A typical representative of parasites with which humans wage a merciless battle.

The insect, very reminiscent of wasps, is a representative of the same family - hornets. The largest species with aggressive behavior. Destroys wasps and hives. The body size reaches 3 cm, in the common wasp it is 1.5 cm. Massive body, powerful jaws, strong limbs. The giant wasp stings painfully and the venom causes severe allergies.

Wasps are unique insects whose lifestyle, behavior, and physiological abilities are a constant object of study. Insects that have an external resemblance to them are no longer similar in any way.

Without nest

It would seem that the wasp is a typically social insect. But Scolia gigantea, with which the hornet is often confused, behaves differently. They do not make nests at all and live alone. You can meet skolia in the south of Russia, in the Caucasus. In colder places it cannot reproduce.

Females produce offspring underground. But first, they look for and paralyze large beetle larvae, which will serve as food for their children. Then eggs are laid directly on them. More precisely, one for each.

Its gigantic size (compared to other insects) helps Scolia dig holes in the ground, because a caring female settles each larva separately, looking for a larger victim for it in advance.

Interestingly, wasp larvae eat stored food for many days. Moreover, they do this in a strictly defined way, which prevents the victim from starting to deteriorate ahead of time. Then, having gained strength, they make cocoons for themselves. They spend the winter in them, hibernating, and in the spring, young giant wasps come out.

Rider

An insect with a long body and a sting creates many mysteries about the name of this creature. Riders are single. They do not build standard nests and do not practice shamanism. Distributed everywhere, includes many genera and species. They differ in color and body length. Some have no wings at all, more like ants.

The most striking representative is the knight with a long tail. Elongated black body, high limbs, narrow wings, sting. Unlike other wasps, horsemen lay their eggs using their stingers. They pierce the body of the victim, inject poison, and lay offspring. This is where the woman’s mission ends. The larvae develop independently. The victims include spiders, beetles, butterflies, and larvae of large insects.

Features of honey production

The honey production process is very complex. Special bees do this. They sprinkle the nectar brought by the collectors in small drops on the honeycombs and blow it with their wings to expel excess water. Then they collect the drops again, saturate it with enzymes and antimicrobial substances and store it in honeycomb cells specially designed for this purpose.

Honey has a strong bactericidal effect, so the ancient Egyptians used it for embalming, and the ancient Greeks stored food by pouring honey on top of it.

Honey making process

Two centuries ago, bees were killed with sulfur dioxide to take away their honey. Only in 1814, a brilliant Russian beekeeper named Prokopovich came up with frames for honeycombs that could be removed from the hive by simply driving away the bees with smoke.

And of course, the amazing things about bees don’t end there. But to explain everything, you will need to write a short treatise.

Invader Queens

This insect is unique among all other hornets in that it parasitizes the nests of its fellows:

• Subsequently, the female begins to lay eggs, from which larvae soon hatch. The people who work, unsuspectingly, feed them until they become adults and are ready to reproduce.
• With the help of special pheromones, the female black hornet, like a chameleon, disguises itself as a representative of another species. By the smell, the workers determine that this is their womb, which they serve, and, as if nothing had happened, they continue their work, providing the nest with food and building materials.
• Then comes swarming and mating. The males die, and the fertilized females fly away in search of new nests on which they can parasitize, or, if the cold season sets in, they look for shelter for the winter.
• At the end of the summer season, the female black hornet searches for a hive of some medium-sized hornet species, sneaks in and destroys the queen. As a rule, only a few are successful, since soldiers and workers fiercely protect their queen to the end and will never recognize a new queen while the old one lives. Of course, an individual that manages to catch a nest contributes to the appearance of new black hornets, more than compensating for the death of males and females of this species.

Very rarely, black hornets build a hive and live together.
This behavior is explained by the fact that in the area where they live, there is no one for them to parasitize, so the search for other people’s nests may end in failure and lead to their disappearance. Source – https://sadovnic.su/babochki-i-mushki/babochka-pohozhaya-na-osu.html

Reproduction

The founder of the colony is the most fertile female, which managed to survive the winter and give birth to the first offspring. In the spring, she herself lays the foundation of the future colony, building the first honeycombs for the future generation, and she herself feeds the larvae that emerge from the eggs.

The hornet larva looks like most other insect larvae. It has a white, slightly grayish color, a dark head, and the same dark longitudinal stripe, as well as a segmented body.

By mid-summer, the first larvae develop into adults, after which they take on all responsibilities for protecting and providing for the queen and nest. The uterus no longer works and is exclusively engaged in reproduction.

The colony grows quickly, and by autumn there are already representatives of all “classes” in it, including the “drones” that fertilize the queen. Closer to the cold weather, fertilized females look for shelter for the winter, so that next season they can give birth to a new generation and become queens in their own families. The remaining members of the colony die even before the cold weather, since they live no more than a few months. The uterus can live for a year.

Coprophagous

Among others, obligate flies include some species of the family of true flies that live in pastures. These insects contribute to the breakdown of excrement in nature and are difficult to classify as pests or dangerous flies.

In the photo of a housefly, with macro magnification, you can clearly see all the details of the coloring. But when viewed with the naked eye, the fly looks gray.

This is a small insect with an average length of 7 mm. The color of house flies is gray with four longitudinal black stripes on the chest. The belly is yellowish on the underside. The eyes are large and dark red. faceted.

Nutrition

A housefly is an insect that is not capable of biting through human skin, although the female needs protein food to reproduce. This type of fly feeds only on liquid food. When finding solid pieces of organic matter, the housefly dissolves them in saliva before consuming them.

In this way she can “bite” a person. Trying to dissolve the skin with saliva, the fly causes sharp pain. An acid burn would cause similar sensations in us. But this leaves no traces on the body.