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Hymenoptera

 Larvae grub-like or maggot-like mostly, some resemble caterpillars

 Complete metamorphosis

 Membranous wings Stinging Pests  Hind wings smaller Peter Warren  Tiny hooks (hamuli) join wings Urban Horticulture Agent Pima County Cooperative Extension  Hard bodied  Females usually have ovipositor modified for defense

 Mostly beneficial  Pollinators, predators, parasites, provide honey and wax

Sawfly Family: Tenthredinidae Family: Ichneumonidae

• Long antennae • Often brightly colored • Females have a long ovipositor, sometimes • Body shape is somewhat roundish and • Larvae are caterpillar-like, but no crochets robust, fly like in appearance and more than five pairs of prolegs longer than body • Parasitoids, larvae feed on a single host • Many adults are predaceous • Larvae are pests

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scopa

• Labrium and maxillae form tongue like structure for lapping up liquid.

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Worker fanning hive with wings

• Antennae elbowed • nodes

• Gender controlled by queen, 2N females

Wasp or ? Bees and Wasps  Most people cannot distinguish between the two  Most stings are caused by • Primary concern about the group is wasps their defensive behavior - they sting  Proper control depends on identification • As many as 10 - 15% of residents will be stung in any given year

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Major Differences Between Bees and Wasps What is a Bee?  Many types of bees present in AZ  Flying that collect nectar and pollen 1. Wasps are predatory;  20,000 species, many differences between them bees feed on plant  Some make honey and some don’t products  Some sting, while others can’t

2. Bees are hairy and have plumose or branched hairs

Leafcutter Bee Arizona Bees

 Beneficial Insect

Honeybee Carpenter  Pollinators bee  Not aggressive

Sting Sting under extreme circumstance

Sweat bee Bumble bee

Sting Small Sting

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Venom Sack Biology

 Bees are social insects and live in colonies  Caste system  Queen  Worker  Drone

Swarm vs Hive Swarm vs Hive Hives Swarms

• Permanent: weeks + • Temporary: present 1- • Usually in holes, walls, 4days trees •Always exposed & open • Most bees not visible • Visible cluster of bees • Usually much flight activity • Usually quiet, little flight • If exposed, comb seen • Comb not present • Often defensive • Very rarely defensive • Bees with yellow/orange • Pollen-laden bees not seen pollen on legs arriving • Usually occurs in spring

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Hives Hives

 Usually made in openings

Bee Problems and Control Hive and Swarm Removal  Bees are beneficial and should not be killed unless they are causing a problem  Bee hives and swarms should be handled by  Bumble bee nests are small and can be killed with an professionals insecticidal spray or a dust placed in the entrance  Local bee keepers are available for removal of bees  Carpenter bees only cause problems in early spring  Honey bee nests are difficult to destroy and should be done by a professional

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Bee Pollination Bumble Bee Biology  Bumble bees have a biology and life cycle  Honeybees provide 80% of the pollination needed by similar to Vespid wasps agricultural crops.  Nests are started by queens in the spring  US harvest more than $20 billions annually in and die out at the end of the season pollinated crops.

 Bees are important!  Bumble bees nest in the ground, old mouse nests, old hay or similar locations  Bumble bee colonies are generally small

Bumble bee nest

Carpenter Bees What’s Not a Bee  Carpenter bees resemble bumble bees Tarantula  Carpenter bees are solitary and nest in wood Wasp Yellow  They are not aggressive, but male bees will Jacket defend territories (but males cannot sting!)

 They can be common around structures Paper where wood is exposed to nesting Wasp

Baldfaced Hornet

All can sting multiple times

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Problems with Paper Wasps Wasp and Hornet Nests

 Most problems occur in late summer and fall when nest are large  Wasps are more defensive when nests are large  Yellowjackets readily scavenge food, bringing them into contact with people  Good sanitation will help reduce problems

Removing Nests Stay Safe  This is a dangerous job!  Remain calm  Large nests should be removed by pest control operator  Never wave your arms when approached by a stinging insect!  Small nests (can be handled by others)  Cover face/neck, wear long sleeves, long pants, hat and  Cover face with hands and look through fingers eye protection  Spray at night when wasps are quiet  Run directly to a building or car  If in the open run 2 football field lengths

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Ants vs Termite

 More than 12,000 species of all over the world  Ants  Termites  Elbowed  Straight antenna  Use pheromones to communicate (ant trials)  Skinny waste  Thick waste  Social insects  Workers  Males  Queen

Find the Source Food Sharing

 The best way to treat ants is at the source  Trophallaxis  Spraying individual ants is not effective  You must kill the queen

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Ant Food Boric Acid Baits

 Ants eat different things  Sweet bait-  3 ounces (6 tablespoons) honey  Seeds  ¾ teaspoon boric acid  Protein  Protein bait-  Dog food, peanut butter  2 ounces (4 tablespoons) peanut butter  Sweet  3/4 teaspoon boric acid  Sweet food, honey, jelly

Red Imported Fire Ant Stinging Ants  Originated in South America  Ants sting not bite  First found in Mobile Alabama between 1918-1930  Can be very painful  No known colonies in AZ  In response to danger  A few nests are found each year but they are destroyed

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Little Black Ant Harvester Ant  1/16 inch long  1/4 to 1/2-inch long  Nests in soil under debris, in open areas and in turf  Nest in open areas, under concrete slabs and turf  Sweet ant  Seed feeders  /mealybug honeydew  Sweet human food  Amdro  Imidacloprid gel bait

Carpenter Ant Arizona Fire Ant  1/4 to 1/2 inch  Native to Arizona  Nest in damp wood (decomposers of decaying wood)  1/8 inch to 1/4 inch  Wide variety of foods  Nest in turf  For best management fix leaks  Protein feeders  Granular baits and gel baits specifically designed for carpenter ants  Amdro and Fipronel

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Questions?

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