Description
Philnathus spp. are known as "Beewolves" as the females hunt bees to provision their nests with. They paralyze the bees & fly them back to a nest, usually dug into the soil, where their larvae will hatch & consume the bees. While some species can be on the larger size (some hunt honey bees, some even bumblebees many, like this tiny female P. gibbosus are quite small & usually hunt small halictids. Philanthus means "lover of flowers", & like the bees they hunt they are nectar feeders & are commonly found feeding at various flowers & contributing to pollination. Another neat thing about this genus is that it's been recorded that in some species the females cultivate a special bacteria in sockets on their antennae, which they spread over the prey & eggs in a nest; this applied bacteria acts as a barrier to harmful disease-causing bacteria & thus protects her brood. While I usually like to keep my images clean of anything but the wasp, I felt putting my finger in the shot to show scale would be good for this tiny little wasp. After we shook hands I sent her on her way to hunt more bees! All prints are archival pigment prints with fully archival inks & papers with a 200 year lightfastness, done on the professional Epson P9000 Prints are done Hahnemühle's high quality Photo Rag which is a 100% cotton rag fine art paper with a slight texture & matte surface Beewolf Handshake - Archival Pigment Print
