Is this a wasp?

[jezlee]

Hello one and all! This beastie was photographed on umbelliferae July 2007, on the Cornish coast – is this some variety of wasp?

[hedgerow]

Definatly a wasp but I don't know which one, sorry.
Nice pic though.
Well done

[oxycera]

Looks like a bee to me - Sphecodes.

[The Black Rabbit]

Originally Posted by oxycera

Looks like a bee to me - Sphecodes.

Absolutely Oxycera. I agree.
Aren't these sometimes colloquially known as "Sweat bees"?

Doug

[oxycera]

Not heard that, know the're damn difficult to identify.

[eucera]

It's certainly a female Sphecodes bee (identification to species level is almost completely impossible without a good microscope, a pinned specimen and a comprehensive key). Males are also very difficult, but with pinned specimens one can be more precise than with the females.

There are 17 species in UK, and they are brood parasites of other bees, usually various species of Lasioglossum (there are a few exceptions to this).

They are in the sub family "Halictinae" along with Halictus and Lasioglossum. These latter 2 genera are referred to as "sweat bees" in the Americas. I have not heard the term used in UK, and never, when referring to Sphecodes. In Geman they are called "Blut Bienen" ie Blood bees. This is a reference to their colour rather than to any behavioural traits!

[jezlee]

Thanks for the info, eucera - interesting stuff! I must confess that before I started visiting WAB regularly, I thought "Bees" in the UK consisted of various bumble bees and the honey bee, end of story!

[eucera]

Originally Posted by jezlee

Thanks for the info, eucera - interesting stuff! I must confess that before I started visiting WAB regularly, I thought "Bees" in the UK consisted of various bumble bees and the honey bee, end of story!

You would not be alone in this Jez! We have 1 species of Honey bee, about 20ish bumbles and some 240 other bees (in UK). In Europe there are about 2300 bee species, and worldwide, about 17000 species have been described

[jezlee]

Originally Posted by eucera

You would not be alone in this Jez! We have 1 species of Honey bee, about 20ish bumbles and some 240 other bees (in UK). In Europe there are about 2300 bee species, and worldwide, about 17000 species have been described

Wow! It never ceases to amaze me at the diversity of life on this lump of rock of ours ... and I think that the sheer numbers involved actually has a detrimental effect in terms of conservation. I think that a lot of people, when hearing of the possible extinction of one of those bee species, think "Well, it won't make a lot of difference, will it? There's still another 16,999 species left ..."

[eucera]

Originally Posted by jezlee

....and I think that the sheer numbers involved actually has a detrimental effect in terms of conservation. I think that a lot of people, when hearing of the possible extinction of one of those bee species, think "Well, it won't make a lot of difference, will it? There's still another 16,999 species left ..."

You are probably right... however, there are 15 guys in Rugby team, and sending one specialist off can have can have just as detrimental effect as taking one out of an athletics relay team, or losing your doubles partner at tennis.

We are often making value judgements about which species are worthy of conservation and which are not (one nameless county Wildlife Trust told me not so long ago that they were more concerned about Badger conservation than about BAP listed bumblebees). For me... I would be just as concerned if Bombus cullumanus was to become extinct globally as I would if we were to lose the Giant Panda. They're both fluffy... only 1 is a bit bigger than the other. The welfare of both reflects on mankind