Philanthus Rutilus
Beewolves (genus ''Philanthus''), also known as bee-hunters or bee-killer wasps, are solitary, predatory wasps, most of which prey on bees, hence their common name. The adult females dig tunnels in the ground for nesting, while the territorial males mark twigs and other objects with pheromones to claim the territory from competing males. As with all other Spheciformes, sphecoid wasps, the larvae are Carnivore, carnivorous, forcing the inseminated females to hunt for other invertebrates (in this case bees), on which she lays her egg (biology), eggs, supplying the larvae with prey when they emerge. The adults consume nectar from flowers. The prevalent European species, ''Philanthus triangulum, P. triangulum,'' specializes in preying upon honey bees, thus making it a minor pest for beekeeping, beekeepers. Other ''Philanthus'' may specialize in other bee species or they may be generalists which prey upon a wide variety of bees such as the American bumblebee, ''Bombus pensylvanicus'' ...
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European Beewolf
The European beewolf (''Philanthus triangulum''), also known as the bee-killer wasp or the bee-eating philanthus (from the now obsolete synonym ''Philanthus apivorus''), is a solitary wasp that lives in the Western Palearctic and Afrotropics. Although the adults of the species are herbivores (feeding on nectar and pollen), the species derives its name from the behaviour of the inseminated females, who hunt Western honey bees. The female places several of its paralysed prey together with an egg in a small underground chamber, to serve as food for the wasp larvae. All members of the genus ''Philanthus'' hunt various species of bees, but ''P. triangulum'' is apparently the only one that specialises in Western honey bees. Identification The European beewolf is a species of solitary wasp with bold yellow and black markings on the abdomen, males have trident-shaped markings between their bluish eyes while the larger females have a reddish stripe behind the eyes and a pale face. H ...
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