Earth bees got their name because they lead an underground life, building burrows deep in the earth, breaking through many passages and labyrinths. The article describes some interesting facts about insects, as well as considers the varieties of insects.
Appearance and features
Earthy bees have distinctive characteristics: black body color, black-brown color of the head and wings of a dark purple hue. The size of bees can reach up to 19 mm. Males have almost no differences from females, but their body size reaches a maximum of 15 mm. The bees have light cannon hairs on the abdomen; there are yellow spots on the upper lip and jaw.
Earth bees have a dense dark gray or light gray hairline in the chest and head. Black pubescent hairs cover the temples and head. These insects love to dig holes in sandy areas, forests, fields.
Where do insects live?
Earth bees are distributed around the world, with the exception of the region of Oceania and South America. Insects live underground, preferring sandy soil or a cover with a small earth content.
Insects are able to settle on the outskirts of fields and in the forest. Taking into account the special selectivity of insects when choosing a place of residence, bees of this species are considered wild.
What are the types?
Few people know that earthen bees are not a rare occurrence, just less common. The insect population is small compared to domestic bees. In addition, people often ceased to be in nature, which is why this species of bees went unnoticed by human eyes.
There are some varieties of earthen bees - they differ in color, size, structural features of the body and other features.
Andrena Clarkella
A common insect known throughout the world. Body sizes can reach from 8 to 17 mm. The color of the bee is different, there are black and blue, sometimes orange specimens. There is fluff on the head and upper back.
Andrena Magna
A less popular variety found exclusively on the Black Sea coast. The bee is dominated by a black body, purple wings, and a yellow upper back. The body length reaches 15-18 mm. On the head and upper body there are thick fluffy hairs.
Halict sfekodes
This is a medium-small earthy bee, the size of which is from 5 to 15 mm. Something like a wasp. A distinctive characteristic is body color - reddish, sometimes greenish with a metallic sheen. Insects are spread all over the world.
Long bee
This species of wild bees is found from Europe to Kazakhstan. Insects have a grayish-red body color, thick and long antennae, small body size. An interesting fact is that two females are able to get along in one nest.
Sherstobits
The peculiarity of this variety is considered a certain "theft". Sherstobits themselves do not dig holes, but they successfully use other people's dwellings, lining cells from plant fibers. A characteristic feature is the small size of the insect, a brown color with yellow spots on the back. Insects are slightly overweight. In relation to other insects, males are very aggressive.
Leaf cutters (megahills)
Leaf cutters are solitary bees. They have strong jaws, but insects do not produce honey. Equip homes using pieces of plant leaves.
Nomada (cuckoo)
The nomad bee is outwardly similar to a domesticated congener, but the earthen bee does not have an apparatus for collecting pollen. There are no hairs on the surface of the body. These bees do not build their nests. They got the name “cuckoo bee” by laying their eggs in other people's burrows, where larvae later grow and feed on nomad stocks.
Mellithids
Outwardly, this species is similar to a domestic honey bee. Their feature is a way of eating. Mellitides collect nectar exclusively from the flowers of legumes or compound plants.
A carpenter
A bee, the distinguishing characteristic of which is a loud buzz. The carpenter bee has large sizes, eyes are dark blue or black, wings and torso are blue with a purple tint. A carpenter is a lone bee.
What kind of lifestyle?
Earth bees can live both individually and in whole groups. Depends on the variety. Basically, insects settle in whole colonies, sometimes several families can live in the same hole. When the offspring grows up, it does not move far from the parental home, but settles nearby, tearing out the tunnels, thereby expanding the kingdom of bees.
There are also such insects, which it is preferable to live not in groups, but separately, for example, this is typical for carpenter bees and leaf cutter bees. The female lives in the nest alone with her larvae until all offspring have matured.
What are the beneficial properties of honey?
Earthy wild bees have aromatic honey, prevailing a smoky aroma with a tart taste at the same time. Honey predominates with a thick consistency, has a rich brown color, contains a huge amount of bee bread and wax.
It is believed that regular consumption of honey harvested by earthen bees helps to cope with such problems:
- cosmetic errors;
- ARI;
- inflammatory processes;
- tonsillitis;
- muscle aches;
- bronchitis;
- joint diseases;
- pneumonia.
The range of application of this product is wide. Due to its amazing beneficial properties, the consumption of honey guarantees the strengthening of the immune system. Honey of wild earthen bees slowly ripens, and for a long time retains its healing properties.
The period when honey collection lasts in the forest is short, only a few weeks of autumn. During this time, the insects manage to procure a sufficient amount of honey. Today it is popular to collect bee honey from the sides, for which special hives are installed in the forest, where the bee family makes nests. Gather honey from the sides carefully so as not to accidentally destroy the nest. The removed honeycombs are opened manually, which preserves the valuable properties of the product. The collection of honey is carried out only with wooden objects. Store honey in a wooden or clay bowl.
Home Improvement
The burrows that tear out insects are somewhat similar to deep tunnels. Numerous dead-end depressions having an oval shape depart from them in different directions. In some of these recesses, bees store honey. The advantage is that in such a chamber, nectar is stored, as in a container, without loss of taste and healing qualities. This is due to the fact that earthly bees tend to equip their homes in a certain way. This work is painstaking for them.
First of all, insects dig out an oval tunnel, then a cell is created in it, and the liberated earth is mixed with saliva. Such a mixture of bees is laid in a circle, rammed with paws, after which they treat the entire surface obtained with a special substance - the secret of the abdominal glands. After the surface hardens, the dwelling is reliably protected from moisture and other weather conditions.
Offspring
Only after the arrangement of the underground house, the uterus will go to the most remote place of the nest, where it will lay eggs in wax cells. Periodically, before laying eggs, some varieties of earthen bees are placed in the cell fibers of plants or finely cut pieces of leaves.
As the larvae grow, the female gradually begins to increase the size of the cells where the offspring live. After the offspring grows up, the uterus dies. This happens with almost all species of earthen bees. But only the female "Galikt sfekodes" is able to survive even in the most severe frosts. And young individuals, actively growing and developing, begin to do the same as the other relatives: harvest honey and nectar.
Benefit and harm
Due to the vital activity of such bees, many flowering plants are pollinated. The benefits of earthen bees are farmland.
But earthly bees can also cause harm, for example, to tear out unsightly holes in the ground in large quantities. Today, when most of the roads are asphalted or poisoned by toxic fumes, earthen bees seek refuge in villages and cottages. If the garden is located on the site, the bees will interfere with planting, and if there is a garden, they simply disfigure it. It would seem that they also benefit from this, for example, it is easy to get honey from the holes. But this is not so. After all, you have to ruin the nest, and the danger to an inexperienced person is great, bees can bite.
It is bites that are another problem. A bee sting is not particularly pleasant, and a sting of earthen bees is dangerous, because it can cause an exacerbated allergic reaction.
What to do with a bite?
The poison of the insect contains a large amount of histamine, which can lead to an allergic reaction, manifested by inflammation of the tissues at the site of the bite and swelling. Be sure to immediately remove the sting - this helps to reduce the possible consequences. In order to get a sting, use tweezers. If the sting does not protrude above the surface, slightly press down the surrounding skin.
To neutralize the poison will help alcohol or sweetened water. The wound is treated with liquid, a piece of ice, previously wrapped with gauze, is applied on top. Due to the fact that a sting of an earthen bee can cause a severe allergic reaction, it is advisable to take an antihistamine or lubricate the site of the bite with a special ointment.
During the day, be sure to drink plenty of fluids, exclude alcoholic beverages, because they can increase the effect of toxins contained in the venom of an earthen bee. If a strong reaction manifests, immediately go to the hospital to avoid serious complications.
The fight against buzzing
Unfortunately, no owner will like the fact that earth bees live on his site. This fact can be explained by the behavior of insects. The bees that live underground are distinguished by their aggressive nature. If a working bee stings a person, then only in case of real danger, but an earth resident is able to attack her prey for no reason.
The insect brings no less harm to surrounding plants - nibbles foliage. And the construction of labyrinths underground will not bring great benefit to young seedlings. It is precisely because of such negative moments that the desire to get rid of pests wakes up in every gardener. There are many ways to deal with earthen bees.
Boiling water will help
It is more popular and simple to fight earth inhabitants - pour bee tunnels with boiling water. This method requires the use of at least 15 liters of boiling water. Although the volume of fluid may vary depending on the depth and duration of strokes.
It is advisable to carry out a similar procedure in the evening, when all the inhabitants of the land kingdom are in their homes. If you go to fight during the day, it is possible that the bees will pounce on the offender and try to sting him.
Such manipulations will help prevent the further exit of bees from their shelters. But when using this method do not exclude the possibility of scalding the root system of plants.
Digging soil
This method of struggle is quite suitable if the tunnels of underground inhabitants are shallow. The evidence that the excavations are inconclusive is the finding of honey, which insects slope to hide at the lowest point of their home. To get to the underground inhabitants, who dug their labyrinths very deeply, is not possible.
In addition, when digging up the earth, the probability of getting a bite from an insect is not excluded. To avoid this trouble, before digging the ground, be sure to put on a special protective suit and mesh mask.
Falling aside burrows of earthen bees with sand or earth is a futile business, it is also dangerous, because angry bees that have climbed to the surface will begin to sting everyone who meets in their path.
Setting traps
Another effective method of getting rid of earthy bees will be the use of traps. For this, it is required to place bottles with sweet syrup inside at the entrance to the burrow of the underground inhabitants. After the insects want to eat, they will get inside the bottle, and will not be able to get back.
Pesticides save from pests
The most effective way to remove wild bees is considered to be the use of toxic chemicals, because it is not only fast, but also effective. Before using poison, experienced gardeners recommend treating the nest of earthen bees with a smoke spray - this will significantly reduce the activity of insects.
Then they begin to use a poisonous substance, they not only spray it, but also fill the burrows of bees. Subsequently, all holes are covered with earth, so that the remaining living bees can not get out. This method allows you to achieve 100% result.
To destroy ground bees, the use of such drugs is recommended:
- Dichlorvos. This is a universal tool used to eliminate various insects, both those that fly and those that crawl.
- Delta Zone. The drug, the main purpose of which is to combat insects. Most experts claim that this substance is one of the most effective. The drug is odorless and has a speed action. The very next day after the treatment, the gardener can observe an excellent result.
- Get. An insecticide created on the basis of chlorpyrifos (5%). One package is enough to process an area of 100 square meters.
Before starting the fight against buzzing insects, children and animals are evacuated without fail, because angry insects can take revenge on anyone who gets in their way. If a huge number of earthen bees have divorced on the site, it is best to seek help from specialists involved in the elimination of these pests.
Earth bees are still considered wild (see wild bees), not domesticated insects, although many are convinced that they can be of great benefit to agriculture. But at the same time, there is a lot of harm from bees living underground - they dig tunnels, which significantly harms young seedlings and flowering plants that bees gnaw on foliage.
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Ukraine. City: Kryvyi Rih
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