Besetting: various species and features of reproduction

The barking is an amazing insect that lives in almost any climatic zone. But most of all he prefers warm and hot weather. In the tropics you can find impressive sizes of wasps, the length of which reaches five centimeters. Among these insects there are species that sting, and those who do not have this ability by nature. In Russia they occur very often, especially in the south of the country.

Appearance

This insect, depending on the species, has its own special structure and length. Digging wasps (sphericides) can reach up to fifty-five millimeters in size. They look about the same as the usual wasps, but much larger. The back of the wasp resembles a small cushion, which is a characteristic feature of this detachment. The name of the insects originated from their main activity - they dig the earth, that is, dig their own dwellings and settle in it. The front feet of the burrowing wasps are covered with protective hard bristles, the main function of which is the tilting of the soil during the digging process.

However, despite the name, not all representatives of this species live in earthen mink. Some species prefer wood and plants. For many of them, the upper segment is flat enough that it helps them to pull out the ground from the narrow passage in the burrow and align it.

Feeding the digging wasp

The digging wasp is a predator. This is an amazing hunter who has a certain strategy in the attack. If the wasp chose the victim, then she can not escape. In addition, the very first wasp hit is fatal. After such an attack, the victim is completely immobilized. But the wasp is hunting mainly for offspring. The main part of its diet is the juice of plants, flowers, nectar. Digging wasps also consume water, but only single species. Individual species collect the collected nectar from the goats of bees.

Types of burrowing wasps

This is a fairly large group of insectivores, numbering more than ten thousand species. The most common of these are:

• Wasp of Larra anathema. This species is especially appreciated by truck farmers and gardeners for the fact that its representatives exterminate pests, among them the bear. This digging wasp is a loner, eats nectar, loves warmth, it can be recognized by black color. During the hunt for the bear, she strikes, paralyzing the insect. Then the wasp lays an egg in the victim's body. After the effect of the poison passes, the bear is taken deep into the ground. It is there that the wasp larva develops best, incidentally parasitizing the pest. Bends the bear shortly before it forms a pupa.
• Sand amphophil. She has a thin and long body, color - black with a red belly. Sand amphophil is considered a major representative of burrowing wasps, its length can reach four centimeters. This settling feeds its offspring with caterpillars that inhabit the earth. First, the sandy amphophilus hunts a prey that is more than a wasp several times, then paralyzes and drags it into its nest. Makes laying directly on the caterpillar so that the larva can feed on it.
• Bee wolf, philanthropist. This type of burrowing wasps is large enough, with a large head, developed jaws and a powerful body. The color of the philanthropist is black and yellow, on the back there are several bands of white color. The name defines the way of life of a wasp - it hunts honey bees. After the victim comes across, the philanthropist fatally stings it, eats honey, and takes the body of the killed bee into the nest in which it feeds its offspring. The bee wolf inflicts significant damage to beekeepers.
• Ordinary sandblast. This sedimentation is black in color, with whitish spots and red belly. Food for ordinary sand is nectar and insects, for example, grasshoppers and crickets. Usually the victims of these burrowing wasps are much larger than themselves. Clinging to a fight with a much larger than himself, an insect, a sandbag fights to the last and, as a rule, comes out victorious. After the sandstorm deals deadly blows to the victim with his sting, even a very large grasshopper emits a spirit.
• There are still road wasps, which lay eggs in the body of spiders.

Reproduction in nature

Digging wasps are insects that are very sensitive to their offspring. For their larvae they store food for future use and even build houses for the younger generation. The food for the larvae of the wasps is mainly butterflies, caterpillars, flies, aphids, spiders. Individual types of wasps choose their "own" insects as victims. These wasps do not live in groups, we can say that they are single, so they are baked independently of their offspring. After the wasp woman prepares her own shelter in the land, she, like a reserved hostess, fills the nest with food and then lays eggs. The earth mink is closed from above for protection. Some types of females check the nest with eggs every day, in order to supply the larvae with fresh food. If there are several nests, then the wasting wasp monitors all.

Place of nesting

Typically, burrowing wasps (a photo of some of them can be seen in this article) nest where it's safe. They dig their mink in the sand, earth, settle in the bark of trees or the stems of large plants. All this they do, following instinct, for the future offspring. At the end of spring, the digging bees are followed by a mating season, after which the insects make masonry in the prepared nest.

The value of burrowing wasps for humans

In general, these insects are of great benefit (except for the bee-wolf). They are fighting pests, protecting useful plants and trees. The villager lives in an open area, so she does not come into contact with a person and is safe for him.