Bees, wasps, bumblebees, hornets. Having mastered ants, caterpillars, butterflies and beetles, we boldly move on to bees, wasps, bumblebees and hornets. They live next to the physalis in petunias, in the attic of the barn and in jars of jam. In these places, we will eventually acquire resistance to a dose of 0.6 to 0.9 SD. Bees are the closest relatives of ants. If you carefully examine the ant and the bee stinging you, you cannot help but notice how similar they are at this moment. Both at this point have antennae, waist and abdomen. For this reason, ants and bees are united in one order - Hymenoptera, and because of being on you, in the suborder of stinging Hymenoptera. They have a huge number of families and subfamilies. Although according to the latest data, they are the same animals at different stages of development. Bees, wasps, bumblebees and hornets are warm-blooded animals, their body temperature often exceeds the air temperature by 30 degrees Celsius. In the dwellings where they live, it is always warm, cheerful and cozy. The source of thermal energy and low buzz is the mechanical vibration of the chest and abdomen - the result of the rapid contraction of the animal's muscles. The animal does not need to fly somewhere. The animal is capable of buzzing and heating up with fixed wings. Pick up the domestic honey bee Apis mellifera. Overcoming pain and fainting, warm yourself with its warmth and consider the sacrament of stinging. Nothing beats this beauty. The sting is carried out with a sting, which is a double-edged dagger made of damask steel with grooves for blood flow, at the same time - a thin surgical instrument, as well as an unsurpassed carving ax. The hornet's sting goes through iron like a knife through butter. The rider's sting from one run from five meters hits one single desired cell of the victim, regardless of its size. The accuracy is amazing. The sting of a German bee is capable of butchering an animal carcass, like a real butcher. Just make it. In the filiform gland of the stinging apparatus - the sting, which works part-time as an ovipositor, contains a secret - the source of bee venom, one of the best allergists in the world. The gland is essentially sexual. The adnexal glands of the ovipositor turn into poisonous acid and alkali glands when they meet you. Often the sting of a bee or hornet can become an independent animal. So, the sting of a working honey bee, the very one that you picked up, has notches in order to remain in your hands forever. The sting left by the bee for independent life is equipped with muscles, which, contracting already without any bee, inject poison into you for as long as you live. The muscles around the membranous venom gland are incredibly strong. They have such power that sometimes they do not need a cutting tool. Ants familiar to us do without a sting. Their muscles around the acidic poisonous gland occupy almost the entire abdomen and, when contracted, cause a stream of formic acid of such force that it can pierce through and dissolve all living things within a radius of many tens of meters. Another one salient feature stinging hymenoptera in collectivism. Their instincts are subordinated to a common cause - to "pick" you in full, which led, in the end, to the creation of one of the most amazing natural phenomena - the "society" of insects. Animals leading a social lifestyle, for example, other people, have always been considered the most dangerous for humans. Bees and ants are just such social animals. In order to terrify all living things, they form communities or families. Therefore, be prepared that they will kill you together, in a large, well-organized crowd. Let's start with one. A single individual will delight you with a thick, colorless liquid with a characteristic odor and bitter taste. The poison is heat resistant. Freezing the poison injected into you to deep low temperatures and heating it to 115 ° C will not lead to anything good, it will not improve your condition, but will only enhance the already unforgettable sensations. But the poison is easily dissolved in water. Later we will tell you how to use it. Bee venom has an advantage over other previously mastered poisons, as it remains active in the solid state for up to 40 years. It is the best suited for harvesting for future use. Chemical composition poison has not been determined. Now we will list only the most popular components known today under common name apitoxin (from lat. apis - bee and Greek. toxikun - poison). So, bee venom contains: biologically active protein melittin, enzymes: hyaluronidase, lecithinase A, phospholipase A and B, acid phosphatase, proteases, DNases, free amino acids, biogenic amines, histamine, histamine glycoside, dopamine, adrenaline, serotonin, acetylcholine , polypeptides, apamin, MSD-peptide, tertiapine, secapin, histamine soder, tetra- and pentapeptides, kinin, lipids and substances similar to animal saponins, formic and other acids, fats, steroid-like substances, volatile oils, water, vitamins, microelements . The number of names alone can make you feel cold. And that's all for us. Poisons are highly toxic, having both local and general toxic effects. The picture of the lesion depends on the type of insect, the number of stings, the size of the family, our experience and other factors. Poisonous insects of this class are very diverse. From the smallest, like the Ammophilus wasp, with paralysis-causing venom, to the largest, like the enlarged copy of the common bee we hold in our hands, Apis mellifera scutellata, with inevitable severe, incurable hemolysis, irreversible damage to red blood cells. The weakest, the bumblebee Bombus impatiens, circling over the crocuses in the corner of the garden, has a lethal dose of only 7.2 mg per kg of your still alive weight. We bring math to the rescue. It turns out 432 mg per individual of the human species. This is three and a half times weaker than potassium cyanide. But already two and a half times better than the Colorado potato beetle. Throw beetles, run to him. A common bee frolicking nearby in Grandma's clover Apis mellifera will give us 3.5 mg/kg or half a tablet of potassium cyanide. With a certain desire, 0.5 lethal doses are guaranteed. After the bumblebee, just a gift. Although the amount of poison released during stinging is small, on average 0.2 - 0.4 mg, even single bites can lead to a painful death. Symptoms of poisoning among crocuses and petunias require a separate description. It can be pain, swelling, hyperemia, in the case of hornets, necrotic processes, allergic reactions, urticaria, swelling of the larynx are possible. The favorite target of the poisons of social bees and wasps is vegetative and central nervous systems, the defeat of which immediately causes tachycardia, convulsions and paralysis, pain in the heart, general weakness, prolonged fainting. Possible death from respiratory paralysis. Treatment is symptomatic, that is, depending on the symptoms, which change every minute. Therefore, take your time, dispersing the doctors, wait for everyone, take a closer look. First comes the so-called anaphylactic reaction. Characterized by a monstrous flow rate. In fact, it is a real miracle. For another minute, the person was normal, talking to flowers, and suddenly, in an instant, the person no longer talks to anyone, and practically does not think about anything. An allergic reaction to histamine does not give time to realize what it was. An anaphylactic (allergic) reaction is a separate, exciting, short story that makes you forget everything in the world. The reaction occurs in people before they are able to determine their sensitivity to certain substances living and inanimate nature antigens, primarily histamine. After such allergens enter the human body, an uncontrolled reaction immediately occurs with the formation of large amounts of biologically active substances - mediators. In terms of speed, the process can be compared with an uncontrolled nuclear reaction. An anaphylactic reaction is like an explosion. Released mediators instantly lead to a change in vascular tone, tissue edema and other pathological changes. Urticaria, skin rashes of various shapes, sizes and shades, Quincke's edema, angioedema, blisters similar in number, size, speed of swelling and bursting with soap bubbles are formed on the skin in real time. It is better not to look at the mucous membranes at this moment, local anaphylaxis occurs there - allergic croup. Killer attack of cold and bronchial asthma, fainting, shock are examples of painstaking, accurate and at the same time quick work of histamine. A reaction is always followed by a shock. Anaphylactic shock is the culmination of an anaphylactic reaction, the general, last, severe reaction of the body before it leaves, characteristic of all sensitive people. It is associated with taking medications, with injections of drugs or vaccines used against bee and bumblebee stings. Shock is characterized by the appearance of difficulty breathing, chills, fever, shortness of breath, dizziness, tachycardia, nausea, drop in blood pressure, convulsions, respiratory arrest, lack of blood pressure, development of fainting, loss of consciousness and failure to return consciousness. It would seem that everything is over, but no, hemolysis sets in. Hemolysis is a condition that requires maximum concentration. Already almost on a lifeless body, a burning pain occurs at the site of the bite, a pale papule spreads from it with a ring of hyperemia and swelling of the surrounding tissues of various lengths. Before us are vivid symptoms of the onset of hemolysis or hemoglobinuria, the results of the action of the protein. The damage to erythrocytes is especially pronounced with bites to the face, neck, ear and back of the head, in this case the edema is most pronounced in the increased size of the head, and is often accompanied by lymphadenitis. With a bite in the eye, hemolysis is accompanied by lacrimation, conjunctivitis, blepharitis. It is better not to think about a bite in the eye. The strange behavior of the body can also be attributed to deadly symptoms. Trophic ulcers and thrombophlebitis, which have been disturbing for a long time, suddenly disappear. The poison has an anti-inflammatory effect. Against the background of fatal poisoning, a person temporarily undergoes joint diseases, myositis, sciatica, neuralgia, urticaria, migraine, suicidal syndrome, etc. Do not flatter yourself, these are the same true signs of fatal poisoning as suffocation or convulsions, maybe even more terrible, than respiratory arrest - a sign of an anaphylactic reaction and its logical outcome - the shock of the same name. You can increase the effectiveness of the poison if you approach it with infectious disease . Before biting, it is advisable to make sure that there are diseases of the liver, kidneys, blood, diabetes, cardiovascular, mental diseases, individual hypersensitivity to bee venom and physical labor. All of the above contributes to the most complete satisfaction from the action of the poison. Poison also works well on knowledge workers. Like any allergen, histamine primarily affects people associated with any kind of labor. On people who are motionless, not thinking about anything, histamine miraculously does not work. This, incidentally, applies to many other animals and not only animal toxins. We come to a paradoxical, but very important, scientifically substantiated conclusion that is fair for the entire theory of life safety: immobility is the basis of life. If you feel unwell, first of all, do not move. People say: "do not fuss", which is essentially true. And the expression: "Well, did you jump?" should be taken literally. What else can save? Little. Now that we've waited for hemolysis and shock, all of their symptoms, we need to find the stinger. There may be several of them, in different parts of the body, in the epicenters of the distribution of the sensations described above. Before removing the sting, make sure that the poison is over, the vial filled with poison is empty. It is useful to wash the wound with alcohol, so as not to disturb the purity of the experiment, not to bring an unplanned infection. After that, it is necessary to apply inside organic solvents, salts of heavy metals, concentrated alkalis and acids, oxidizing agents. Anything that successfully inactivates apitoxin. Does not withstand bee venom and direct sunlight. Don't refuse. It's too late to give up in your position. After clarifying the diagnosis for additional symptoms resulting from the use of concentrated alkalis and acids, you can try the cold at the sting site. With multiple bites, circular infiltration novocaine blockade of bite sites sometimes helps. In severe cases, adrenaline, corticosteroids and antihistamines, vitamin preparations can help a little. In total, it is necessary to consume a total of 400 ml of drugs: diphenhydramine, pipolfen, glucocorticoid, calcium chloride, calcium gluconate, sodium bicarbonate, hydrocortisone, prednisolone, rutin, nicotinic acid. After that, you need to take a break, smoke. We promised to talk about the beneficial effects of Nicotine nicotine. Thanks to the alkaloid nicotine or pyridine methyl pyrrolidine contained in tobacco, we owe the best analeptic in the world. Analeptics (from the Greek. analeptikos - restorative, strengthening) stimulate or restore the functions of the respiratory and vasomotor centers of the medulla oblongata, as well as the heart. Stimulation of the respiratory center occurs due to the direct effect of the drug on the respiratory center of direct and reverse action. Analeptics increase peripheral vascular resistance and increase systemic arterial pressure. Analeptics also weaken various forms of central inhibition. In the brain, under their influence, oxygen consumption increases and the content of noradrenaline, the second after adrenaline, but no less important for the body, brain hormone rises. Its action has a significant stimulating effect on the heart. Outwardly, this is manifested in an excellent reaction and mobilization of all the forces of the body. For this reason beneficial features smoking in stressful situations is difficult to overestimate. In every way, nicotine is life. After a smoke break, with the development of seizures, you can add seduxen and diazepam. At the end of convulsions - rheopolyglucin, polyglucin. After a natural deterioration from so many drugs taken, add prednisolone and mezaton. After that, you will be able to tell the relatives of the deceased that you did your best. In fact, this whole set of dubious preparations and painful procedures is replaced by three liters of relatively pure, in fact, any water. Drinking plenty of fluids is one of the most effective means of combating toxins, including those that cause colds. In this sense, the people are mistaken, it is never too late to drink Borjomi. Drinking must be alternated with abundant excretion of the drunk in any way accessible to a person. We will not list these methods. They are well known to everyone. We emphasize only that all. Everyone without exception. Yes, yes, and these too. No need to be embarrassed. We will be embarrassed later, when we get out. Water is suitable for all poisons, with the exception of a group of toxins that destroy the structure of intestinal cells, such as the cholera toxin. In this case, the intestine ceases to fulfill its function of supplying the body with anything, primarily water. Everything goes right through. In this case, those who have not read this chapter cannot do without a dropper. For those who read, the irreversible functional impairment caused by the deadly poison of cholera may seem like mild indigestion. Now, knowing about the possible consequences, let's turn to practical recommendations, the technique of choosing an animal and obtaining a precious sting. Much depends on the nature of the animal. Poisonous, as elsewhere, only females. The poison of an individual, as was said, is small, but no one knows how many females in the family and how many times each individual will sting. Sometimes it is difficult to guess the size of the community and its character. For this, irritation should be caused in an individual animal. Which is not difficult at all. There are few living beings that we do not annoy, especially in childhood. By irritating one animal, we very quickly learn how many animals are in the family and how they are set up. Your obedient servant in childhood, being an inquisitive boy, poured an eight-hundred-gram jar of water into a nest of earthen wasps, was attacked, received six bites in the head, and would have died immediately if he knew how dangerous it was. We now know that the impact of insect venom depends largely on the site of the bite, the number of bites and individual tolerance. The author of these lines did not know anything about this in childhood. He rightly believed that all places are the same. This saved him. Traditionally, bites to the head and other places close to the brain are considered dangerous. Since the location of the brain in a person is very individual, the bites of earthen wasps in the head turned out to be not so close to the brain of our hero. Another control bite took place in another place, much lower than the head, but it also turned out to be not so close to the hero's brain. So the author added resistance to 0.7 lethal dose to the already existing 0.5 from outdoor games with beetles and caterpillars, many days of incubation on an anthill, eating many tons of nettles and needles. Your obedient servant did not stop there. After a useful episode with earthen wasps, the author in childhood, and the author’s childhood was not only difficult, but also long, read Khalifman’s picturesque descriptions of unbearable pains from the bite of the Vespa orientalis hornet. So colorful that the author wanted to be bitten immediately. He did not hesitate to take advantage of this desire. The case was not long in coming. Well, what can I say? So-so. The author of these lines in childhood expected more, although it might not have been a hornet. When poisoned by hornets, hemorrhage and hemolysis are characteristic, which are associated with certain experiences. Instead of the expected swelling, blisters and papules, the author experienced convulsions and fainting, not much different from the daily cramps and fainting associated with the need to do homework. There was a preliminary preparation. The lethal dose of hornet venom is 2.5 mg per kg of bitten weight or a little more than a tablet of diphenhydramine per person. The strength of the poison is only one and two tenths of the strength of potassium cyanide. The poison of H. Joglandis has the same strength. He is stronger than the poisons of bumblebees and bees, but not as much as it might seem from the chilling stories of Khalifman. Another danger that can unexpectedly lie in wait is multiple bites of the same individual. This happens infrequently, usually the animal stings no more than ten times, but it still happens. Then the number of bees, wasps, bumblebees and hornets in the family must be multiplied by an arbitrary number of stings of each member. Pretty hard math problem. Not the most dangerous African subspecies of the Apis mellifera honey bee, the Apis mellifera scutellata bee stings as many times as it sees you. Her eyesight is relatively good, your appearance is bright, memorable, the speed of her flight significantly exceeds the speed of your run. It may well turn out that the total amount of poison injected by the end of the marathon will exceed three or more lethal doses. There has been a lot of talk lately about so-called mutant insects. We see this as a serious threat. No one knows in advance what strength of histamine the bee will come up with and to which family it currently belongs. For example, a paper wasp living in the attic, at the sight of you, will not find it difficult to attribute itself to the wasp genus P. badius or the very similar P. rugosus with a lethal dose of poison of 0.45 mg / kg. This poison is already four and a half times stronger than potassium cyanide. One bite is equal to a teaspoon of this powder. It is even easier with a honey bee that imagines itself to be a bee from the genus Pogonomyrmex comanche, then its poison kills in the amount of 0.25 mg / kg - with one sting it will bestow almost two teaspoons of potassium cyanide. The number of bites should be recorded. The recommended frequency is 300-500 bites annually. Having fulfilled the specified standard, our body will gain resistance to 0.9 lethal doses. We will approach the critical point - resistance to one lethal dose. Once we overcome it, it becomes much easier to move on. After reading the three sections of this chapter, we have become immune to histamine - the poison of winged predators. Increased resistance to most polypeptides, as well as one of the most terrible poisons, ladybug batrachotoxin. Needless to say, the person at this stage stops getting the flu. He becomes immune to the toxins of the animals that excite him. The flu is also an animal, only small. This section is dominated by the bee Pogonomyrmex comanche. According to the results of three sections, the nanisani beetle is still in the lead, its poison is 120 times stronger than the poison of the most dangerous hymenoptera, but we can assure you that the superiority of its squad will not last long - some two more sections. Everything that we have described refers only to the preparatory stage in the development of animal toxins. Serious trials lie ahead, which we have finally achieved. See the chapter "To True Friends". With gratitude to the Internet for providing information about the subject of the conversation, special thanks to the sites that responded to requests: "dangerous animals", "deadly animals", "most deadly animals". Special thanks to the electronic versions of dictionaries, encyclopedias, pages.
Wasps, bumblebees and bees belong to the same order of Hymenoptera insects. Despite many similarities, there are some significant differences.
If bumblebees and bees are represented by only a few species, then wasps have dozens of species, ranging from collective individuals to loners with completely different habits. Sometimes there are more differences in varieties of one species than a wasp differs from a bee and a bumblebee.
Outwardly, bees are easily distinguished from wasps and bumblebees if the insect does not stay in motion. However, while in flight, it is rather problematic to distinguish between a specific species. Also, apart from external features insect bites are also different.
About bees there are reports of 15 thousand years ago. In the 17th century, scientists drew Special attention on the communication of bees in a team. Thus, it was proved that insects transmit information using the language of dance: circular movements, the nature of the flight, etc.
Due to their diversity, arthropods are an excellent example of collective and individual effective survival.
Differences in the physical structure of arthropods
A significant difference is tracked between the signs of the external structure.
Scientists divide the body of an arthropod representative into the following parts:
- head;
- abdomen;
- chest part;
- chitinous cover of an insect.
In the case of the head shape, the bee is strikingly triangular in appearance, containing the center of nerve connections. A line is noticeable along the central part, on both sides of which compound eyes of a black insect are planted.
The complex design of the eye is a special example of a successful engineering solution. The organ consists of many plates (with the shape of a honeycomb), a round tube with the property of light transmission goes to the center of the head.
Wasps have 2 pairs of webbed wings. Depending on the species, the insect can reach from 1.5 cm to 10 cm. in length. On the lower facial part of the head are two jointed antennae that can move autonomously. Such an organ allows the insect to determine the level of carbon dioxide and humidity, which is extremely useful in a dark hive.
Wasps got three pairs of legs, which in turn consist of 9 segments.
Table: What is the difference between a wasp and a bee and a bumblebee, a brief comparison.
| bee (honey bee) | Bumblebee | ||
|
Decorated with clear contours of dark and light (often yellow) stripes. There are no villi on the cover |
It also has contours on the body with alternating dark and bright colors. There is a covering of the body with hairs, the lower section has the densest cover. |
It has more saturated tones than bees. On the body there are stripes with a dark color and a light shade. The tip of the abdomen of some species is colored white. There is a bright hairline, giving the impression of hairiness. |
|
| The division of the body into two segments in the breast area begins an oblong abdominal part. | The abdomen is expressed in more even forms. | More rounded body shape | |
|
Villi: No chitinous hairs |
Present abundantly on the abdomen |
Present, abundant cover |
|
|
Individual weight: Depends on the type |
Worker weight: |
Worker weight: |
|
Important! The weight of the uterus of arthropods differs significantly from other representatives of the hive.
At first glance, you can see a more oblong and elongated version of the body. There is a term wasp waist” which is expressed by an extremely small girth.
The whole body has a bright color, in some species there are small areas with hairs. The wasp's jaws are much larger than those of bees. The coloring is very bright and well visible.
Bees have more pronounced paws. The coloration is more blurred, shaded. The connection between the abdomen and breast is not so sharp. The chest area has a copious amount of hairs. The back of the bee has a gray-black color.
As for the bumblebee, the individual is extremely large in comparison with relatives. He has a similar color, but a denser cover of hairs. The bumblebee is much fluffier and wider than bees. The paws of the species are also much wider. Yellow, reddish and red stripes may appear on the body. Some varieties may be completely black in color.
How to distinguish insects in flight? When flying, the wasp makes jerky movements at intervals, freezing in place. Characterized by high speed and sharpness. In some cases, individuals are large in size, which makes them clumsy.
The bee moves more smoothly with more rounded flight paths. It is impossible to call her a loafer in view of her special status as a honey producer. This worker is the only supplier of honey to our tables.
The bumblebee is a real heavyweight, as a result of which it flies the distance slowly and heavily.
In addition, the difference between bees and wasps and bumblebees is expressed in nutrition.
For example:
- the bumblebee forages alone, and fly out in search of nectar before other membranous;
- honey insects fly around the territory in small groups;
- wasps can search for food in a flock.
The bumblebee feeds on vegetarian food mainly on nectar, but some arthropods are omnivores, and are also quite aggressive in capturing food.
As mentioned earlier, wasps are the most irritable. Most often it is wasps that bite. Due to the large jaws, an individual can bite a person. Wasps don't die after being bitten, so they sting more. The venom of the sting causes unpleasant itching and pain, the intensity of which depends on the size of the insect. If you did not find a sting inside the wound after a bite, you can say that it was not a bee.
Important! The reason for an insect bite can be even an unpleasant smell or a careless movement.
The bee takes care of its weapon and does not use it in vain, as this cripple their insides, and they die after a while. The sting of the bees has notches and gets stuck in the victim. During a bite, the bees send a signal to other individuals, and they begin to help bite in a group. Bumblebees are most often alone and manage on their own.
Bee venom from wasp venom appears in medicine. Bee toxins are used in medicine for apitoxin therapy (treatment with bee venom). However, one should have the professional guidance of doctors.
Attention! The bumblebee stings much stronger than other insects, but weaker than the hornet.
The difference between bumblebees in a calm character and most often representatives of the species do not show aggression and is the opposite of smaller arthropods. Their sting is smooth. Therefore, it does not remain in the body of the victim.
Flowers in the process of co-evolution have acquired the aroma and color that attract bees, the shape of many flowers has changed from radially symmetrical to bilaterally symmetrical, which corresponds to the structure of the body of the bee - almost all the huge wealth of natural forms and colors of flowers has appeared as a result of the tireless million-year selection of flowers by bees.
Bees don't see flowers the way we see them; they perceive the ultraviolet, blue and green parts of the spectrum better, and distinguish shades of red and yellow very poorly. Many flowers have "ultraviolet" color drawings on the petals that are invisible to us; these are lines that indicate the path to the depth of the flower, to the nectaries. These lines not only serve as landmarks, but also attract bees in their own right.
Sometimes there are bees that sit on blades of grass for a long time, completely stretching out the entire complex structure that somehow fits in their mouth. It is unknown why they do this. Most likely they are cooling down.
The structure of the body of bees, in turn, is remarkably adapted for collecting nectar and pollen. The lower jaws have turned into a long, elongated proboscis, ending in a pointed tongue. The length of the proboscis with which the bee sucks nectar varies in different breeds; long-proboscis bees have a proboscis up to 6-7 mm and can extract nectar in those flowers where it lies deep and is inaccessible to short-proboscis. The development of the proboscis of the bee went along with the formation of tubular corollas of flowers: all tubular flowers owe their origin to bees. Such a change in the shape of the flower protects the anthers from the effects of rain, and most importantly, prevents flies and other nonsense from visiting it, which ensures the preservation of the nectar supply until the appearance of the main pollinator and gives more guarantee that the pollen after visiting the flower by the "necessary" bee will go to the flower of the same species. .
The hairs on the body of the bees are electrostatic, and when the bee collects pollen on flowers, it is magnetized to the "fur" on the head and chest. Periodically, the bee is cleaned with brushes on the front paws, transfers pollen lumps to the middle ones, and those to the hind legs, where the pollen basket formed by special bristles is located. After repeated repetition, a large ball of pollen accumulates in the basket, called pollen. Arriving in the hive, the bee pushes it out of the basket with its middle paw into the cells specially designed for storing pollen.
The bee brings nectar in a special extension digestive tract- goiter. To fill it with nectar, she needs to visit from 250 to 1500 flowers - depending on their type.
The summer bee begins its short life as a cleaner: it licks and polishes the cells; then she moves on to the duties of a nanny: she feeds and licks the adult larvae. On the 3rd-5th day of life, wax glands develop in her, which grow up to 12-18 days, and then begin to decrease and be reborn - in this period of time, the bee can build honeycombs. Approximately on the 8th day of development, glands producing bee milk are formed in her, and then she begins to feed the uterus and young larvae; then she gets closer to the tap-hole and becomes a receiver of food, taking it from the foragers and bringing it to the cells. Moving even closer to the notch, they are among the watchmen: they protect the hive from enemies. Gradually, the bees begin to leave the hive to collect food. First, young fluffy worker bees fly out of the hive in masses - they fly around. Gradually, they are drawn into foraging activities. An elderly worker bee, with worn out pubescence and frayed wings, ends its six-week summer life as a forager: this period of its life is relatively short: from several tens of hours to several days.
But even in this negligible period, many dangers lie in wait for the bee - triatomine bugs lurking on flowers, philanthropists and birds patrolling in the sky, fields and gardens treated with pesticides ... The queen bee lays up to 2,000 eggs a day in the spring, and from 1 during the honey collection period. 000 to 1,500 eggs per day, only restoring the size of the family to replace the dead individuals.
The "bee tongue", which allows them to learn from each other where the source of food is located, consists of several signaling systems.
First of all, the bees use the usual odor signals: the smell of nectar received in the hive from a returning scout prompts workers to look for a source of food with the same smell. Bees also have special odorous glands between the segments on the back of the abdomen. The smell is spread by the bees when they walk around the food and eat it. Thus, the bee marks the source of food, so that foragers flying past can easily find it: for them it is brighter than a signal beacon on a dark night.
The bees drive out the bronze beetle
But besides this, there is a more complex code - the famous "bee dance". The bee, having found a rich source of nectar, upon returning to the hive, makes a series of movements on the surface of the honeycombs. If the source is located close to the hive, the bee simply makes circular movements, which means that it is necessary to actively search for food around the hive.
If the source of food is far away, for tens and hundreds of meters (and the bees collect nectar and pollen within a radius of up to 5 km from the hive), then the character of the scout's dance changes. She describes on the honeycomb a figure resembling a flattened figure eight. Passing the middle section of the figure, the bee quickly wags its abdomen. The intensity of this wobbling is positively related to the distance to the food source; the inclination of the figure's axis to the vertical encodes the angle with respect to the sun. When leaving a dark hive, the bees "mentally" transfer the angle at which the scout was moving to the angle of deviation of the flight from the direction to the sun (more precisely, not quite to the sun, but to the plane of polarization of the light of the sky). To understand the complexity of the task, one should consider that they grope for a corner with antennas in the darkness of the hive; and transfer the angle of deviation from gravity on a vertical surface to the angle of deviation from a visible reference point when flying horizontally. A detailed tip at the place of arrival of the bees is made by smell: the smell of the scout's nectar they have tested indicates which flowers in the area should be visited.
The dance is performed to the accompaniment: during the dance, the honey bee buzzes in a certain way, and the duration of the buzz is proportional to the distance to the source of food. So the message about the distance and direction is duplicated several times in different coding systems, which provides a more reliable system for transmitting information. Knowledge of language is not completely innate: young bees learn to read the information contained in the dance before going on their first flight, and not all of them master this skill to the fullest.
So they sunbathe
As in any society, there is a lot of mutual misunderstanding and fuss in the bee society. Often, the dancer reporting the source of food is ignored, or only young, inexperienced bees react to her, who have to watch the dances many times in order to understand the message contained in them. At the same time, old experienced bees have developed habits, addiction to certain flowers that open at a certain hour of the day; they, not reacting to dancing, sit for half a day in a secluded corner of the hive, until one of the returning scouts smells that "their" flower is ready.
Well, just a few words (although they deserve more) about bumblebees - these are also such bees, specialized for life in a harsh climate, north of ordinary bees and wasps - in contrast to them, bumblebees are able to work at temperatures up to 0 ° C, these are one of the most cold-resistant insects.
A bumblebee can take off at a temperature of the pectoral muscles of at least 30 ° C; at a lower temperature, the muscles do not contract fast enough. Therefore, before the flight, the bumblebee is warmed up by trembling muscles. In this way, at an outside temperature of just 6°C, it reaches "take-off temperature" in 15 minutes. Helps the bumblebee to warm up his coat - it reduces heat loss by half. In flight, 90% of all energy is converted into heat, and therefore the temperature of a flying bumblebee is constant: 36 ° C (as in humans) at an ambient temperature of 5 ° C, and 45 ° C (almost fatal) at 35 ° C in air. At higher temperatures, the bumblebee cannot fly due to overheating, and in the heat it "sweats" - it releases a drop of liquid from its mouth, which evaporates and cools its head.
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Bees are considered to be one of the most attractive and interesting insects on the planet. Not without reason, many reputable scientists are actively studying their way of life, reproduction characteristics and type of nutrition. Despite the fact that they seem to have been studied for a long time, these workers absolutely never cease to amaze humanity with their abilities and incredible skills. There is quite important information about bees, wasps and bumblebees, which is not able to leave indifferent.
Probably everyone knows that bees are small and very hardworking insects, which also have an attractive appearance. Honeycombs deserve special attention, which are made from wax secreted by special glands. These products can actually be called real works of art, because they are distinguished by ideal forms, practicality and maximum efficiency. Honeycombs are designed to perform several important functions for the life of bees at once. This situation is about the process of laying pollen, collecting honey and growing their offspring.
Honeycomb creations
The most important information about bees, wasps and bumblebees concerns honeycombs. It is clear that these insects do not use rulers and computational formulas. However, they always produce perfectly even combs. None of the scientists so far has guessed where these creatures have such abilities. Honeycombs are characterized by a hexagonal shape, and their bottom is triangular. Each cell has the same diameter and depth. Without exception, all honeycombs are arranged in even parallel rows. Their unique location attracts the attention of specialists. Only two cells parallel to each other are located vertically. As for all the others, they are tilted at a precise 30-degree angle. Even the great Charles Darwin tried to unravel the secret of such a honeycomb structure in a timely manner, but he failed to bring this study to its logical conclusion.
Useful properties of bee venom:
- relieves pain in the joints;
- prevents the spread of HIV in the blood;
- increases the level of anti-inflammatory hormone produced by the body.
All these facts are not fictitious, because they have long been confirmed by representatives of the scientific field of activity. Bee venom is based on the toxin melittin. It is an excellent pain reliever. American specialists in the medical field today are already quite actively using the above toxin in the treatment rheumatoid arthritis. The results are sometimes amazing.
The fascinating life of
Wasps are no less intelligent and developed insects than bees. This is absolutely not surprising, because they are relatives. In this particular case, important information about bees, wasps and bumblebees concerns family relations. It has long been known that wasps prefer to live in whole colonies. It all starts in the spring, when the female builds a nest on her own, where she lays her eggs. After about 26 days, larvae appear from them. It is very interesting that only females are born at the same time. In parallel, their mother lays eggs again, as a result of which the colony increases significantly. Closer to autumn, males and other females adapted to fertility appear in it.
A very important feature possessed by wasps is visual memory. Scientists have proven that these insects are actually able to distinguish each other by their faces. True, this applies only to those wasps that belong to social species. They are accustomed to exist, while observing a strictly built hierarchy. Only those individuals who prefer to live alone cannot distinguish between faces. In truth, they have no such ability at all. social views OS, meanwhile, can even become attached to individual individuals. Thus, they choose for themselves pets with whom they prefer to spend all their time. The mother wasp also pays special attention to some of the larvae in the nest. True, it is not entirely clear on what basis she selects them.
The most important information about bees, wasps and bumblebees
In this case, you can make a special emphasis on the bumblebee. This situation is about a unique variety of bees. Among the representatives of science, these insects are associated primarily with a paradox and a real mystery itself. This mainly concerns the amazing aerodynamic abilities of bumblebees. Without exception, all the laws of physics known to mankind indicate that these insects should not be able to fly. However, bumblebees do not just fly, but also do it very quickly.
The similarity between bees and bumblebees is that most of their colony consists of workers and very hardworking individuals. True, in the case of bumblebees, we are talking more about forwarders. In the summer period of the year, they fly around the flowers and collect nectar from them, which is subsequently stored inside an equipped nest. This is done by not fully developed females. Their main advantage is very good and focused vision. This ability allows them to distinguish colors and choose the brightest buds for pollination. Gradually, they gain experience, which is why they accurately determine the most fragrant and productive plants.
Key Features
Profile experts argue that the most important information about bees, wasps and bumblebees concerns hard work. Throughout the day they go about their usual business. All without exception, their actions are very useful. Bumblebees have learned to pollinate those flowers that were left without proper attention from the bees. The main reason why there is such a clear distribution of work is that the body structure of bumblebees includes a fairly large proboscis. This allows them to get nectar even from the deepest buds.
Most people have seen bumblebees in their lives. All of them clearly know that their main feature is a loud buzzing. In fact, this is not at all a whim of insects, but an objective necessity. Bumblebees buzz the most during their close approach to the bud. At this moment, they shake out all the pollen without exception from the stamens of flowers, and also collect nectar. When it's hot outside, specially trained individuals buzz near the entrance to the nest. This is done in order to ventilate your own home.
Children are very inquisitive and friendly, sometimes it is very interesting for them to get acquainted with new inhabitants of the outside world. But often insects are not so optimistic, especially if they are wasps or bees, bumblebees or hornets. The bites of stinging representatives are painful, lead to severe swelling of the tissues, and in children with a hereditary predisposition to allergies, they can face serious complications. What to do with a wasp or bee sting, how often do bites of other stinging insects occur and why are they dangerous?
Stings of wasps of bees, bumblebees and hornets
Among the stinging insects for children, wasps and bees are the most dangerous, it is with their bites that parents have to meet most often.
bee bites exclusively for defensive purposes, if the child tries to grab it, steps on it, touches it while collecting nectar on flowers, or comes close to beehives (in apiaries). Without special need, these insects do not attack, since their bite is the only one in their life, leaving a sting in the wound, from which poison is released, the bee injures the abdomen and soon dies. The sting gets stuck in the wound due to the fact that there is a notch on its tip, which clings to the tissues when the insects try to pull it back out.
Wasp varieties there are quite a few, they are all dangerous, most are capable of painfully biting, including children. The vast majority of os bites also for defensive purposes or showing aggression if the child is located in the area of the insect's food source (fruits, vegetables, meat) or water. After a bite, the wasp does not die, since its sting is sharp and without notches, it injects poison into the wound and flies away. Among all insect options, it is important to distinguish two types of wasps:
- Paper wasps related to species living in colonies. These are precisely the wasps that often annoy in summer time. Their bites are painful but pass quickly.
- road wasps smaller, but also more aggressive. They live in earthen burrows as loners. Their bites are extremely painful, it is difficult to endure them without emotions for strong and healthy adults, in children even a single bite can threaten a painful shock.
Hornet stings the most dangerous, as their poison is especially allergenic and aggressive. According to their biological affiliation, these are also wasps, but having large sizes, up to 5-10 cm long. They may bite several times, show aggression if the child approaches the place where their nest is located. Multiple bites of hornets are possible, threatening serious consequences.
bumblebees similar in many ways to bees, and they do not attack themselves, only defending themselves and biting in a pinch. They prefer to fly away when trying to contact them. Bites are painful, dangerous, there is no sting left in the wound, so the insect can bite more than once.
When are bites possible?
Most often, children experience single bites of stinging insects, and only the excessive curiosity of older children and adolescents when they find nests of wild bees or wasps, insect minks, or climbing trees where the hornet's nest is located can threaten multiple bites.
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Usually they bite babies who try to touch or catch bees or wasps sitting on flowers or plants. There may be bites if children wave their arms, trying to drive away an insect flying near the body or sitting on food, a mug or a container of water.
Bites are possible when swimming in an outdoor pool, if a bee or a wasp got into it, when trying to pull it out of the water.
There may be bites in the foot when walking barefoot on the grass, in which insects swarm, collecting nectar from flowers.
Rare options may be a sudden and unprovoked attack by a stinging insect, usually they prefer not to deal with people.
The most typical localization of insect bites in children are the hands (hands, fingers or forearms), feet, legs, face. But bites are also possible in any other parts of the body.
If a child is bitten by an insect: the first minutes
First of all, you should not panic if the baby screamed sharply and sobbed. Many mothers begin to scream and cry with the child, which only increases the nervousness of the situation. If you saw an insect that bit the baby, you need to immediately provide assistance, if not, calm the baby as quickly as possible and provide assistance, find out who it was. Such information is important, especially if it was a hornet (the very fact of its bite is dangerous) or a road wasp, or if the child is allergic and has previously had reactions to certain insects (usually bees, less often others).
The main symptoms of a stinging insect bite
Most often, insect bites are manifested by severe swelling of the wound area, severe pain and redness, burning is also typical, a feeling that the affected area is “burning” or baking, and the local temperature rises above it.
Children against the background of bites become capricious, scream and cry inconsolably due to the development of sharp pain in the affected area. The development of tissue edema can lead to unpleasant complications. On average, most of the manifestations of stinging insect bites pass in a day.
Special danger: allergy to stings of wasps, bees, bumblebees
It is important to note that a small percentage of children may experience real life-threatening complications. They are associated with the existing hereditary predisposition to allergies and the formation of sensitization to the venom of a stinging insect. Typically, such reactions are triggered after three years, as the immune system matures and its cellular and humoral link becomes established. Therefore, an acute anaphylactic reaction leading to generalized urticaria, or a severe systemic reaction with fever and malaise, is more typical of adolescents and adults. It happens infrequently in children.
It is also important to point out that anaphylactic reactions are possible not with the first bite, but only with repeated ones, if they occurred later than 10-14 days from the moment of the first. This is the minimum possible time for the formation of sensitization to insect venom, which subsequently gives allergic reactions.
During the period of sensitization, the immune system recognizes the type of poison, introduces it to immune cells - lymphocytes, and synthesizes special compounds due to them - antibodies that remain in the body along with trained lymphocytes for life. The level of sensitivity increases from one bite to the next, the reactions come faster and stronger. As a result, for such children, on any trips out of nature, it is necessary to have a special anti-shock first aid kit and an emergency telephone number for assistance. Among children with allergies, these are no more than 1%, but reactions with this option are unpredictable and severe.
For ordinary healthy children without allergies, a local reaction to poison is typical, which has a different degree of severity depending on age, the type of insect that stings and the individual tissue reaction.
First aid when a child is bitten by a wasp, bee, bumblebee
When a wasp or bee stings, the main effects are the poison entering the wound and its resorption into the blood in large quantities. Therefore, it is important to neutralize or limit the entry of poison into tissues as much as possible. There are recommendations on the Internet for sucking poison out of the wound. They offer a lot of methods - suck the poison out of the bite with your mouth, squeeze it out with your fingers. It is worth immediately stopping the parents and turning on the logic. At the site of the bite, there is already swelling and pain, and the size of the wound is such that attempts to suck out the poison with the mouth are useless. Plus, the parental oral cavity is not sterile, and secondary infection can be introduced. Pressing with your fingers only increases pain and tissue injury, and the child is already in pain, squeezing out at least part of the poison will not really work.
What would be correct:
- Cool the bite site with a compress (wet cloth moistened cold water, an ice pack, a piece of frozen meat wrapped in a napkin, dry ice packs from a first aid kit, or any other method).
- Attach a swab to the bite area, which is dipped in lemon juice, table vinegar, onion juice. You can add an apple slice.
The poison is alkaline and will be partially neutralized by acids.
- When a bee stings, you need to remove the sting by gently picking it up with tweezers at the base so as not to add portions of poison to the wound.
- When bitten by a wasp, hornet or bumblebee, the sting does not remain in the wound, you do not need to look for it and pick the wound.
- Calm and distract the child, behave as calmly and calmly as possible.
If there is no predisposition to allergies, this is the first bite in life, you do not need to use any in the form of ointments, gels, especially in their adult forms. No one has canceled the side effects of medications either, and they can become more dangerous than the bite itself. The safest will be the bites of the extremities, with other localizations the situation is worse, but it is important to know the general data on how to reduce the manifestations - swelling, itching and burning of the skin, pain and redness.
How to reduce pain, itching and swelling
To eliminate the typical manifestations of stinging insect bites, there are fairly safe, proven and effective remedies for children. They can be roughly divided into three large groups:
- Special preparations strictly corresponding to the age of the bitten baby. These include balms made by companies that sell insect control products (Gardcake, Mosquitol sprays, Insectline balm, and Picnic Family). They are aimed at eliminating the sensation of itching, they cannot reduce pain, nor can they greatly reduce redness with swelling.
- Medications that help relieve pain and swelling. These include Menovazin, Fenistil gel, Soventol gel.
- Folk and improvised means. These include ammonia or a concentrated soap solution, chopped parsley root, garlic juice or gruel from dandelion, plantain.
It is worth remembering that the swelling at the site of the bite will not disappear immediately, it will last for some time even as the rest of the sensations subside. The drugs eliminate itching and pain. And the edema is formed due to the destruction of the cells under the skin by the poison of a bee or wasp, and until the body is completely cleansed of the poison in the bitten area, the edema will persist.
Dangerous bites, features of observation
If it is the arms or legs, the bites are painful, but not as dangerous as if the insect bites into the face, neck or earlobe. Active resorption and local action of the poison in these areas threaten with serious consequences. It is important to closely monitor the child's condition in such localizations hourly, measuring the temperature, assessing the respiratory rate and general condition.
If the bites occur on the area of \u200b\u200bthe eyelid or the mucous membrane of the eye, you should not hesitate for a minute, you should immediately go to the doctor or call an ambulance.
If the sting of a wasp or a bee falls on the front surface of the neck in the throat area, swelling of the subcutaneous tissue is dangerous, not even associated with allergies, which quickly increases and leads to respiratory disorders up to suffocation. This type of death of children accounts for the largest number of complications, so in such cases it is worth actively monitoring the baby. It is important to respond quickly and adequately at the slightest deterioration in the condition.
