A bumblebee clings to goldenrod in a wildflower area at Mt. Joy Community Orchard. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer)
This year, the state launched the Flower Fly Survey, so I’ve been spending a lot of time in the
last few weeks looking for these bee-like flies among the blooming goldenrods and asters.
Among the flower flies are more recognizable, and sometimes abundant, bees and wasps. It can be entertaining to watch them methodically work a patch of flowers, searching for nectar and pollen, and otherwise minding their own business.
I’ll quickly acknowledge that many people have a fear or dislike of bees because of the females’ ability to sting, and it’s especially scary for the 3% of adults that are allergic to bee stings. Having recently stepped on an underground hive and had a bumble bee work her way up my pant leg and sting me five times, I’ve had persistent reminders of these important pollinators and am thinking more about what they are up to at this time of year.
Bumble bees are on the move right now. Colonies from the summer are dying off and the new queens are looking for underground burrows to hibernate in through the winter. I suspect the bumble bee that crawled up my pants was a female looking for a safe place in the soft soil around the deck I was trying to paint. Oblivious to the insects below me, I must have stepped on or near her prospective hibernacula, resulting in the defense and multiple stings. Unlike honeybees, bumble bees have barbless stingers, so they are capable of stinging their agitators multiple times. I didn’t get a good look at it, but I suspect it was a common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) because it sure was impatient for me to finish my deck work!
Talking with other naturalists about my bee encounter, I learned about a fascinating cause of aggression from yellow jackets, the common aerial yellowjacket (Dolichovespula arenaria) and eastern yellowjacket (Vespula maculifrons) being the most common ones in Maine. Apparently, as we head into the fall and the yellowjacket hives are done, the adults need to change where they find their food. All summer long, adults would feed larvae to the insects they caught, and then get to eat the sugary waste produced by the larvae. Now, without that sugary meal, adults are out fending for themselves and will turn to sources such as your opened seltzer can (look before you sip). It is helpful to remember that bees or yellow jackets don’t want to sting you, but when they are hungry and you are keeping them from their food (even if it was your food), then they will defend themselves.
One wasp that we often encounter on fall hikes, that stirs up the most unwarranted fear, is the American pelecinid wasp (Pelecinus polyturator). These wasps have dark black bodies, long legs, and an even longer tail (technically metasoma) that would make you think it is capable of a nasty sting, but they actually can’t sting at all. Instead, they are parasitoids. That long tail is made for boring into the ground and laying eggs on the grubs of June beetles. There is another family of parasitic wasps, called Ichneumon wasps, that is huge (25,000 species described globally) and has a similarly intimidating ovipositor, but again is harmless to humans.
As we head into fall, keep an eye out for these pollinators. Hopefully, this column adds a bit of context to their activities. Consider downloading the iNaturalist app and submitting photos of any of the bees, wasps or especially flower flies that you see. And if you are a bee-hater, then don’t worry, the first frosts are in the forecast and will mean the seasonal end to many of the pollinators that are buzzing around.
Have you got a nature or wildlife question of your own? It doesn’t have to be about birds! Email questions to [email protected] and visit www.maineaudubon.org to learn more about birding, native plants, and programs and events focusing on Maine wildlife and habitat. Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox and other naturalists lead free bird walks on Thursday mornings starting at 7 am, at Maine Audubon’s Gilsland Farm Audubon Sanctuary in Falmouth.
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