Bee Hotels for Solitary Bees
You may be wondering what bees need a hotel for, when they make their own hives. The truth is that many species of bees are solitary – the do not live in hives but instead construct their own nest. The main reason for this is because in these species every female is fertile and this would not make for comfortable communal living in a hive.
ryce: I’m pretty sure we came across some kind of moth (Luna?) while we were out picking things in the gardens. It looked cool but didn’t have large wings (yet?)
Insect house and bee colony on the grounds of the Potager du Roi, where the original gardens date back to the reign of Louis XIV (1678). The King’s gardens were located near his palace in Versailles where he would show off his abundant produce and espaliered fruit-bearing trees.
Amblycorypha oblongifolia, the pink katydid, molting.
Wax-Tailed Planthoppers feed on plant juices (floem mostly), extracted through their long, siringe-like mouthparts. Plant juices are rich in carbohydrates, and wax-tails convert them into ketoester waxes, which are used to produce long, feather-like plumes.
Apoica Wasp nest Order: Hymenopteres. Apoica is a genus of eusocial paper wasps found throughout Central and South American tropics. These wasps are nocturnal, carrying out their foraging activities at night. They prefer to construct their nests, which have an open comb like many paper wasps, under large leaves, or in shrubs. During the day, wasps covering the comb fan their wings to cool the nest, keeping it at a suitable temperature for larval development. When attacking prey, Apoica release a drop of venom from their stings, which in turn attracts any nearby wasps to attack. (Photo credit: Bushmaster Pascal)
Cordyceps is a genus of parasitic fungi that invade insects such as ants, spiders and caterpillars. The fungus infects the brain of their host, modifying its behaviour. The insect is suddenly driven to climb plants so that the maximum amount of fungal spores can be distributed. The insect will eventually die as the fungus erupts out of its body, causing some pretty dramatic displays.
Luna Moth (Actias luna)
The luna is a very elegant looking silk moth. Larvae feed on sweet gum, hickory, walnut and persimmon.
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