Habropoda excellens, m, ut, face
Habropoda excellens, Three spotted Digger Bee, specimen collected by K. Moredock in Utah, USA
Digger Bees in the genus Habropoda occur around the world across middle northern latitudes and are usually plant specialists, collecting pollen from only a small number of all the plant species that might be available. While in this book we have talked about the numerous species of bees that lay their eggs in the nests of other bees to the ultimate demise of the nesting species’ egg or young, we haven’t mentioned all the other insects that also parasitize the nests of bees. One such group is Meloid Beetles, which can commonly be seen as adults lounging around on flowers. Unlike other grublike beetles, newly hatched Meloids are very mobile and because of that scientists were compelled to give this novel life stage the name triungulin.
Triungulins from a Meloid species in California, USA cleverly produce the female pheromone of the Silver Digger Bee (Habropoda pallida), a more uniformly colored relative of our checkerboard species here. The triungulins gather together and form a bee-ish looking cluster at the end of a plant stem. A male bee, expecting an easy mating opportunity, alights on the mass and the triungulins jump on board. Traveling to an appropriate female bee next time and mating the not so cute little triungulins jump aboard the female for a ride back to her nest. At this point, friends, our lovely triungulins commence to slaughter and eat all the bee babies, set up house and eat all the bee food at their leisure. Good thing we have evolved out of this sort of thing…or have we?
Further in Summer than the Birds
Pathetic from the Grass
A minor Nation celebrates
Its unobtrusive Mass.
No Ordinance be seen
So gradual the Grace
A pensive Custom it becomes
Enlarging Loneliness.
Antiquest felt at Noon
When August burning low
Arise this spectral Canticle
Repose to typify
Remit as yet no Grace
No Furrow on the Glow
Yet a Druidic Difference
Enhances Nature now
-- Emily Dickinson. Original public domain image from Flickr