Order Hymenoptera
Ants, Bees, Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Sawflies
Order Hymenoptera
The order contains bees, wasps, ants, parasitic wasps and sawflies
This order contains some of the most beneficial insects to humans
Many are plant pollinatorsMany more are predators and parasites
to insect pestsMany Hymenoptera are pests as wellThey cover a large range of habitats
Order Hymenoptera
Many insects in the order are flying insects
They have four flight wingsMany are also flightlessHymenoptera have both chewing
mouthparts and mouthparts suited to lapping up liquid foods
Order Hymenoptera
Some Hymenopterans cause damage to plants by cutting leaves for nesting materials
Many lay eggs into leaves or stems causing gall structures
There are very few controls for this type of damage
Order Hymenoptera
Most have fairly long antennaSome have an ovipositor that has
been developed into a stingIn some cases the sting is defensive In some cases it is offensive – used
for huntingOnly females possess stings
Order Hymenoptera
Hymenopterans undergo complete metamorphosis
Larvae tend to be grub-like or maggot-like
Sawfly larvae resemble Lepidoptera larvae – except….
They have more than 5 pair of prolegs without crochets
Larvae may pupate or form in a cocoon in parasitic species
Order Hymenoptera
Wasps, bees and ants exhibit “eusocial” behavior
Definition – eusocial behavior is a condition of group living in which there is cooperation among members in rearing young, reproductive division of labor, and overlapping generations
Order Hymenoptera
Sex of hymenopterans is controlled by fertilization of the egg
Fertilized eggs become femaleUnfertilized eggs become male
Bees and Wasps
Top row (left to right): bumble bee (Bombus sonorus), carpenter bee (Xylocopa californica arizonica). Bottom row (left to right): paper wasp (Polistes fuscatus aurifer), German yellowjacket (Vespula germanica), European honey bee (mix of several Apis mellifera subspecies), Africanized honey bee (Apis mellifera scutellata from Tucson, Arizona).
Family Apidae
Honey Bees
Family Apidae
The Honey BeeThis family is of extreme economic
importanceHoney and beeswax production is well in
excess of $500 million dollars annuallyTheir pollinating activities are worth 200
times that amount
Apis mellifera L.
Honey BeeIntroduced species from EuropeMost colonies inhabit man-made hivesColonies are perennialThe queen and workers overwinter in the hiveThe sex is largely controlled by fertilization of
the eggFood given to the larvae ultimately determines
the bee’s sex
Apis mellifera L.
Bees & Honeycomb
Subfamily Xylocopinae
Carpenter Bees
Subfamily Xylocopinae
Large Carpenter BeesFamily AnthophoridaeTo 25 mm and resemble bumble beesThese excavate nesting galleries in wood
Xylocopa californica arizonica
Xylocopa californica arizonica
Nest Gallery
Family Vespidae
Paper Wasps, Yellow Jackets and Hornets
Family Vespidae
This is a large group of Hymenopterans in North America
Represented by about 325 speciesThese tend to be common and well-knownMost are black with yellow or whitish
markings, some brownishSome are eusocial with three castes in the
nest – queen, workers and malesQueens and workers possess a powerful
sting
Family Vespidae
Nests of the social varieties are made from a papery substance
Wood, dried stems and foliage and paper are chewed and regurgitated to form the paper nests
Family Vespidae
The queen overwinters to start new colonies in spring
Larvae are fed on insects and other animals
Subfamily Polistinae
Paper Wasps
Subfamily Polistinae
Paper WaspsUsually reddish or brown with and
marked with yellowPrimitively eusocialColonies are started by a single female
or a small group of femalesThe nest is a comb of several cells made
of paper and suspended by a single stalk
Subfamily Polistinae
The larvae live in the open cellsThe cells are closed when the larvae
pupateThe nest gains in size as new larvae are
produced all season The most common species in North
America is Polistes
Polistes species
Polistes species
Subfamily Vespinae
Yellow Jackets & Hornets
Subfamily Vespinae
18 species in North AmericaEusocial and nests consist of one to
several tiers of hexagonal papery cellsMost nest in the groundMany nest in branches, under porches
and in other protected locationsMany are predaceousMany are opportunists
Vespula species
Yellow Jacket Nest
Superfamily Ichneumonoidae
Parasitic WaspsFamily Braconidae &
Family Ichneumonidae
Family Braconidae
Braconid waspsMore than 1,900 species occur in North
AmericaThese are beneficial parasitic waspsBoth ectoparasitic and endoparasitic in
natureTypically very small – usually less than
15 mm
Braconid Wasps
Cocoons of an Ectoparasized Larvae
Aleiodes texanus Adult
Parasitized Lepidoptera
Family Ichneumonidae
Ichneumonid waspsOne of the largest families in the entire
InsectaThere are more than 3,300 species in
North AmericaIchneumonids vary greatly in size, form
and colorBeneficial parasitic waspsLarvae are parasitoids
Ichneumonid Wasps
Cratichneumon subfilatus Heinrich
Superfamily Chalcidoidae
The Chalcidoid Wasps
Chalcidoid Wasps
Contains at least 20 families and about 2,200 species in North America
Most are very small – 2 mm to 3 mm with some 10 mm to 15 mm
Most are parasites of other insectsTypically they attack the egg or larval
stage of their host
Tetrastichus setifer
Tetrastichus setifer
Parasitizing Larvae
Tetrastichus setifer Parasitizing a Larvae
Family Formicidae
Ants
Family Formicidae
Common and widespreadOne of the most successful of all insect
groupsAll ants are eusocialMost colonies have at least 3 castes –
queens, males and workers
Family Formicidae
Queens have wings and do most of the egg-laying in the nest
Males also have wings, are short-lived and die soon after mating
Workers are wingless femalesCapable of both stinging and bitingMost are carnivorous, some eat nectar,
honeydew, sap, nectar, fungus, etc.
Family Formicidae
Colonies vary in size from a dozen or more to many thousands
Nest can be found in all sorts of placesMost nest in the ground and may extend
several feet deepChambers may be divided into brood
chambers or food storage chambers
Spreading Out
Once a year males and queens are produced in large numbers and take to the air
They mate on the wingThe males die The queens shed their wings and find suitable
locations to start new coloniesThe queen lays eggs in a shallow nest and
starts and cares for the first broodThis first brood then takes over enlarging and
caring for the queen and subsequent broods
Anatomy of an Ant
Argentine Ants
Iridomyrmex humilis
Fire Ants
Solenopsis spp.
Order Diptera
Flies
Order Diptera
FliesOne of the largest ordersAbundant in individuals and in speciesFound almost everywhereDipterans possess only one pair of wingsThe hind wings are reduced to structures
called halteresThe word “fly” is written as a separate
word in the common names of Diptera
Order Diptera
Halteres
Order Diptera
Most all are small, soft-bodied insectsSome are quite minuteMany are of great economic importanceMany species are bloodsucking pests of
humans and animalsMany are pests to cultivated plantsSome are predators or parasites to insect
pestsSome are pollinators
Diseases From Diptera
Many vector serious diseasesDiseases organisms include:Malaria, yellow fever, filarasis, dengue,
sleeping sickness, typhoid fever, dysentery, etc.
Order Diptera
Mouthparts can be piercingSome have mouthparts used for lappingSome have vestigial mouthpartsDiptera undergo complete
metamorphosisLarvae are typically called “maggots”
and are worm-like and legless
Order Diptera
Larvae occur in various habitatMany occur in aquatic habitatsThe larvae of plant-feeders typically live in plant
tissue as leaf miners, stem borers, root borers and gall formers
Many larvae are carrion feedersPredaceous larvae also occur in different
habitatsAdults of many species feed on various plant or
animal juicesMany adults are predaceous
Order Diptera
Dipterans include:Mosquitoes, midges, gnats, crane flies,
horse flies, deer flies, robber flies, bee flies, syrphid flies, fruit flies, small fruit flies, blow flies, flesh flies, and many more
Green Bottle Fly
Phaenicia sericata
Pictured Wing Fruit Fly
Strauzia longipennis
Crane Fly
Tipula vitatta
Flesh Fly
Sarcophaga sp.
Horse Fly
Tabanus sulcifrons