CATDOLL : CATDOLL: Is it possible for wasps to overwinter in their nests?

Is it possible for wasps to overwinter in their nests?

No, the wasp workers will freeze to death, and the bees in the hive are all queen bees, who will not attack people. In addition, the weather in the north does not allow them to move.

They should spend the winter in their nests. If they come out, they will freeze to death.

Wasps do not spend the winter in a hive. They usually spend the winter under tiles or bark in rotten trees.

How to distinguish the king, the drone and the worker bees in a large wasp nest?

The main difference between female and male bees is that the male bee abdomen and antennae have one more segment than the female bee, and many of the terminal tentacles are often bent into a hook shape; the male bee has a male external genitalia at the end of the abdomen, and the base of the external genitalia is a pair of sturdy genital processes. The base is a thin and protruding genital thorn, which has a gripping effect; the female bee has a retractable needle at the end of the abdomen that can discharge venom, so only the female bee stings.

Queen bee: After a period of activity and supplementation of nutrition, the queen bee looks for a nest in a relatively sunny place, builds the first generation of eggs while building the nest, and also has food and varieties of enemies. The first generation of larvae and emergence. Soon, the bees wait for all the work inside and outside, which is the only adult bee in the nest at that time. From the second generation of female bees, a few individuals and drones successfully become the first new queens who lay eggs normally in the same year, and then the winter bees alternate.

Worker bees: specialize in expanding the construction of the hive, feeding, cleaning the nest, keeping warm, hunting food, collecting, defending enemies and protecting the nest. These worker bees have a fierce temperament, obvious sputum needles, a large amount of detoxification and attack power. The first generation of adult bees are all worker bees working inside and outside the office. Among the second generation of female bees, except for a few female bees that successfully become new females and individual individuals that do not produce male eggs, most of the remaining workers are worker bees.

Additional information:

Harmful aspects of wasps: Harm to humans and animals. Except for wasps, wasps generally live in groups in nests. A group of wasps can be as small as dozens to hundreds, as large as thousands, and as large as 5,000 to 8,000. When humans and animals come into contact with or touch the nest, they will attack in groups and injure humans and animals with their stings. In severe cases, it can cause death.

Harm to beekeeping Wasps are natural enemies of bees. Some larger wasps often fly to cities, villages, near houses and bee farms to catch bees. Most of the captured bees are used to feed larvae, and some are used as slaves for work.

Harm to fruits and forests Wasps often appear in forests, villages, farmlands, orchards, and vegetable gardens, feeding on tender leaves of plants and biting fruits and tomatoes, etc. Bitten fruits are infected by pathogens, resulting in reduced yields of fruits and vegetables and affecting the normal growth and development of trees.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia - Wasp (Insects)

Drones: There are more than 10 drones in the third generation of black-breasted wasps. They are bred from eggs laid by second-generation female bees that have not been fertilized through mating. They can mate with a few female bees in the same or different nests, or with female bees of the same or previous generation. They die one after another shortly after mating. The number of drones in the last generation accounts for 1/6 to 15 of the total number of bees.

Worker bees: They are responsible for the construction, feeding, cleaning, heat preservation, hunting, gathering, defense, and protection of the nest. These worker bees are fierce and fierce, with obvious stings, large amounts of venom, and strong offensive power. The first generation of adult bees are all worker bees who are responsible for internal and external work. Among the second generation of female bees, except for a few who successfully mate to become new queens and a few female bees that lay male eggs without mating, most of the rest are worker bees.

The main differences between male and female bees are: male bees have one more segment in the abdomen and antennae than females, and the antennae of many species often bend into hooks at the end; there is a male external genitalia at the end of the abdomen of the male bee, with a pair of thick genital base segments at the base and a thin and protruding genital spike at the end, which has a grasping function; there is a retractable stinger at the end of the abdomen of the female bee, which can discharge venom, so only the female bee can sting.

Additional information:

Hu Feng's appearance features:

Eggs: oval, white, smooth, the tip of the egg forms the wasp's future head, and the base forms the abdomen;

Larva: The body is thick and fat, with slightly pointed ends, fusiform, white, and without legs. The larval digestive tract is not connected to the excretory hole, but a closed sac is formed by the peritrophic membrane in the midgut. Excrement is stored in this sac. After pupation, the sac becomes dry, hard, and black, and it is removed together with the molted skin. The pupa is yellow-white, which gradually darkens with maturity. The head, thorax, and abdomen are distinct, and the main organs are clearly visible. The pupa does not eat. It emerges in the bee chamber as a queen bee, and uses its upper jaws to bite through the chamber opening to drill out.

Adult: The head is slightly flat front and back, with large compound eyes on both sides of the head, which is kidney-shaped. The thorax is approximately cylindrical, slightly thin at the end, with 3 sections, each with a pair of legs, and a pair of membranous wings on the middle and metathorax, which are the front and back wings. The three pairs of legs of the adult are flexible and powerful, and are used to catch insects, assist in feeding, and build hives.

Reference link: Baidu Encyclopedia--Hu Feng

Wasps in the family Vespidae are commonly known as bumblebees. The life cycle of a wasp includes four stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. There are three generations in a year. The first generation of adults emerges in mid-June, the second generation generally occurs in mid-June to early July, and the third generation emerges in mid-July to early to mid-August. They mate in late October and begin to hibernate. Drones mostly appear in the third generation, die after mating, and have a short lifespan. Wasps are large and ferocious. They can eat Lepidoptera larvae in agricultural production and are beneficial insects. When the external environmental conditions are harsh, wasps will prey on honey bees. In the beekeeping industry, they are not only a major enemy of honey bees in my country, but also one of the most important enemies of the world's beekeeping industry.

Queen Bee:

It is responsible for all internal and external work such as defending against enemies, hunting for food, feeding the first generation of larvae and worker bees that have just emerged. A few individuals from the second generation of female bees that have emerged successfully mate with male bees to become the first batch of new queens that normally lay eggs that year, replacing the old queen bees that have overwintered. Therefore, from the second generation onwards, the second honeycomb appears, with 100-150 cells. At this time, the cells are surrounded by the nest shell. The honeycomb is spherical, leaving a nest door with a diameter of 2 cm for the bee colony to enter and exit, which is also necessary to protect the safety of the bee colony. At this time, the wasp has a biological phenomenon of multiple queens laying eggs in the same nest, and at most dozens of queens can lay eggs in the same nest.

Worker Bee:

The largest number of wasp nests are mainly responsible for expanding the hive, feeding, cleaning the nest, keeping warm, hunting food, gathering, defending against enemies and protecting the nest. The first generation of adult bees are all worker bees for internal and external work. Among the second generation of female bees, except for a few who successfully mate to become new queens and some female bees that lay male eggs without mating, the rest are worker bees. The colony strength varies greatly depending on the species. Generally, the total number of the last generation of wasp type three bees can reach more than 4,000. The nest weight ranges from 10 to 50 kilograms, and even reaches about 80 kilograms. It usually appears in the previous generation of the overwintering generation (i.e. the second to last generation). At this time, around July to September, the bee pupae are highly nutritious, the milky white bee pupae are the most, and the quality is the best. It is the best time to pick wasp pupae and larvae, and it is also the critical period to eliminate wasps in the whole nest, which is really killing two birds with one stone.

Drone:

They mainly mate with female bees. In the third generation of wasps, there are more than 100 male bees, which are reproduced by the eggs laid by the second generation female bees that have not been fertilized. They can mate with female bees from the same or different nests. They can mate with female bees of the same generation or the same generation. They die soon after mating. The number of male bees in the last generation in autumn and winter accounts for one-fifth to one-sixth of the total number.

The queen bee is the largest, but she never leaves the hive.

Worker bees are the largest in number and the smallest in size.

Drones are larger than worker bees.