The 24th chapter of the “Inhabitants of the microworld” series is called “Beewolf”.
Wasps of the genus Philanthus are named “Beewolves”. And this name has a simple explanation. These solitary and digger wasps are especialized in hunting honey bees. They hunt them on the flowers where bees go to feed on nectar and to collect the polen, and the wasp inoculates the venom through its sting. The bite does not kill the bee but paralizes it. Once the bee has been hunted and paralized the wasp carries it to the tunnel she has excavated into the sand and leaves it into one of the several subterranean chambers. Then the wasp lays one egg from which will hatch a larva who will get fresh food during all the time the development of the wasp larva takes because the bee remains alive.
This is the 24th chapter of a series that will bring to us a video per day during this confinement forced by COVID-19.
We hope that you enjoy this initiative, which gives access to a documentary series for free to the world, and you share it with everyone you think will possibly be interested.
Science into Images’s team.