Hello folks who wonder if insects indulge in small talk when they pass each other,

Recently on a hike at Byrne Preserve, I came across a turret spider burrow, but since it was daytime I assumed the spider might be off to work and I could break in and grab a glass of lemonade from the fridge.

Little did I know, the
turret spider was working from home that day. During the night, they will hang around the entrance and grab any visitors and take it in the burrow for dinner.



Large yellow underwing moth is a common species across the Bay Area, even though it is not native to this region. Its common name gives away its defense mechanism, when it is sitting peaceful, it looks like any run of the mill moth, but when it feels threatened, it unfolds its wings and reveals a bright yellow underwing which confuses predators and allows it to fly away. Over here you can see, it showing the yellow underwings.



The scales on this moth look different than the ones seen before on a Variable checkerspot butterfly.



A dead Black-tailed Bumble Bee does not warrant a second look, but this one looked like it was carrying something on its back and wings.



On closer inspection, it turns out these are mites. Now don't reach for that phone and dial 911, these mites are harmless to the bumblebee and just use the bumble bee to UberPool(because they have to share the ride with other mites) from the flowers to the nest of the bumblebee. In the nest they will eat the nest debris, wax and leftovers from last night's dinner. Once they had their fill, they will hitch a ride on a departing Bumble Bee and go to a new flower and hop on to another bee.

Here is one hanging on to the wings of the bee.


No comments:

Post a Comment

Did you learn something new in this post? Let us know in the comments below

Tags

acorns adventure adventures algae alligator american crow ant cricket ants aphids aquatic snails arachnids argentine ants bananas bark beetles barklice barnacles bats beaver bees beetle beetles bird lice birds black-tailed deer bloodworms bristletail bug bugs bumblebee butterflies canada goose cardinal carpenter bees carrots caterpillars cave centipede cockroaches coot corvids court case crabs crawfish crayfish cricket crickets crow crustaceans damselflies death deer diatoms dock dragonflies earwigs eggs egrets elephant seals european starlings eyes ferns fingerprints fishes flea flies floods florida flowers fly freshwater snail frog frogs fundraiser fungus fungus-eating lady beetles galls geckos geese goats goldfinch gophers grasshopper green dock beetle green heron green lacewing guest post gull harvestmen hawks herons hike history honeybees house sparrows india insects isopods jumping bristletails jumping spiders juncos katydid kayak lacewing lady beetles land snails leaf miners leafhopper lice lichens lizard lizards lynx spider maggots Magpie mallow marsh megabats midges mildew millipede mites moles mosquito moths mouse spider nematodes nettles newt newts night nuthatches oaks owl paper wasps parasite part 2 pavement ants pelicans pigeons pill bugs plants pocket gophers pollen pollination pollinators poppy praying mantis pseudopupil pupa quail rabbits roach roadkill rove beetles salamander salmon sandpiper scat scorpion Scorpions sea lions sea otters seals seeds shorebird shrimp silverfish skunk snails snakes social media solifuges sparrows spider spiders springtails squirrel squirrels starlings stilts stinger sun spiders surf scoter swallows tarantula termites thrips ticks towhees trees turkey turkey vulture turtle venom vultures warblers wasps water boatmen webspinners whales wolf spider woodpeckers Wren wrens yellow jackets youtube

Featured Post

The case of the missing grasshopper

Hello folks who wonder if crime does not pay well at least the benefits are hard to dismiss, This case is about Gregory , a band-winged Gras...