This Fly Torpedoes a Bindweed Bee’s Nest | Deep Look
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- Опубликовано: 31 июл 2023
- A “bee fly” looks a bit like a bee, but it’s a freeloader that takes advantage of a bindweed turret bee’s hard work. The bees dig underground nests and fill them with pollen they collect in the form of stylish “pollen pants.” As the bees are toiling on their nests, the flies drop their own eggs into them. But the bees employ a tricky defense against the flies.
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In the spring in California, male bindweed turret bees get into brawls with their peers as they search for a female to mate with. Males pile onto each other and form so-called “mating balls,” an inaccurate name, since no mating is occurring. Rather, the males are getting into fights. The female they’re vying for is caught at the bottom, and sometimes the battle is so intense the males accidentally kill her. But, if she survives, she and the male who won steal away and mate.
Once they’ve mated, females dig through compacted dirt to make a nest underground, where they’ll lay their eggs. The majority of the world’s bee species - 70 percent - are ground-nesting. The bindweed turret bees in this video chose a dirt parking lot near the town of Winters, in the Central Valley. These native bees are known by the scientific name Diadasia bituberculata.
Females tirelessly scoop earth with their mandibles, softening it by dousing it with nectar they collected earlier. They work side by side, but each is “queen” of her own castle.
As they dig out their nest, they often build a turret at the entrance. These dirt towers usually aren’t vertical: Many of them are tunnel-like, with a sideways entrance. Others curve down. With their entrances facing away from the sky, the turrets protect the bees’ nests when bee flies start dropping their eggs from the air.
--- What is another name for a bee fly?
Bee fly is the common name for the more than 4,000 species of flies in the family Bombyliidae.
--- How do bee flies parasitize bees?
The Paravilla fulvicoma bee flies in our video drop their eggs into the nests of bindweed turret bees. When the fly’s egg hatches into a larva, it digs tiny hooks into a bee larva. But the bee larva doesn’t die. It grows by feeding on the pollen that its mother packed for it inside the nest. As the bee larva grows, the fly larva sucks it dry and kills it. Then the fly finishes growing into an adult and pushes up through the ground to emerge the following spring.
--- How do you tell a bee fly from a bee?
Even though bee flies have hairy bodies like bees, if you look closely, you can tell them apart. Bee flies have big eyes that cover a large area of their heads. And bee flies’ antennae are short compared to bees’ antennae.
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#beeflies #nativebees #deeplook 
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The way they wiggle and shuffle or ploop their way into their tiny tube homes with a bumfull of pollen is unexpectedly adorable
Ploop = plop?
@@D-Z321 I mean they ploop so not really a plop. More of a ploop.
I needed this tonight
Plant or checkout some Obediant wildflowers. It's hilarious watching their butts sticking out when they are going for the pollen
This comment
The buzzes they make while digging are so cute.
The pollen pants are beautiful.
We agree!
At first I thought they're stargazers but I was wrong. 😅
I also got a laugh at the pollen paints with the bee feet sticking out 😂
@@KQEDDeepLook😢is ok
Those shots of the pollen pants just sliding down the tunnels was hilarious. Well done!
The bees look like our fluffy ragdoll kitty, with their pollen pantaloons :)
Nature is odd weird and amazing all at the same time
That's our show in a nutshell, thanks!
@@KQEDDeepLook no problem 😊
So is punctuation.
@@NoobsDeSroobs wdym?
@@NoobsDeSroobs no seriously what are you talking about?
Awww the little pollen pantssss ❤❤❤
POLLEN PANTS
@@KQEDDeepLookPOLLEN PANTS
POLLEN PANTS
@@BryleMilan POLLEN PANTS!!!
POOPY PANTS 💩
2:25 they are so cute when they crawl to their nests.
they're so furry and chubby!!
btw do these ones have nasty stings?
I like to think they kinda slide down front first so they don't mess up the pollen pants
@@alveolate no
This channel truly deserves much more recognition than it has, the amount of information and clear footage is marvelous
This channel has over 2 million subscribers...what more recognition are you referring to?
@@godbelow 2 million more
Lol never enough for good science channels. I was shocked how low sci show was given it's the best science channel on RUclips.
The segments are never boring and just the right length stuffed with knowledge.
@@godbelow 8 billion people on the planet. There are more than 2 million people living within 3 miles of me. Small fraction of human population. Not sure why you felt the need to argue about this, get a life.
I love those pollen pants 😅
why is your comment says 3 days ago?
@@Re_Beentime traveler?
They are a Patreon Subscriber! www.patreon.com/deeplook
@@KQEDDeepLook oh
I prefer time traveller.
The delivery of "pollen paaants" made me smile so hard
Love the pollen pants, and I felt so bad for the bees whose hard work was spoiled by those pesky bee flies.
I thought bee flies only attacked tree bee nests not ground bee nests!
But why is betrayal EVERYWHERE when you're SMALL?
... although big ones... Humans and chimps raiding neighbors,
Kleptoparasitic birds...
Nature is sometimes rough, but some species try and be better!
Life is hard. So any cheatcode you find to make it a little easier, makes it so your offspring has a bigger chance of survival. Much of earths life could be described as a collection of cheatcodes. There are very few organisms that don't profit one way or another from other life, very often at its expense.
The bees deserves it, they stole pollen from the bindweed flowers. The bees are the true freeloading parasites, the beeflies are the real pollinators.
Yeah, best to assume exceptions are highly likely in all things biology. The worst thing you can do is assume "always", "all", "never","only".... especially with flies... There are flies infected with other flies that catch other flies to infect them so that all 3 species land in one host at the end when the final one in the series bites a big mammal. I'm oversimplifying that but ... Yeah
Because it's the NON-HUMAN world out there in the wild.
Hi my day got just 200 percent better
Glad we can be of assistance!
@@KQEDDeepLook OMG i didnt think someone would reply 😃😄 me and my dad always watch your videos he we are always ecxited when a new video comes out. ❤️ your channel
Hey Deep Look, request to know if you'll make a segment on the Spotted Lanternfly? They're an invasive menace in the northeast and your channel is perfect to help bring awareness and educate us on this insect. Thank you!
Edit: typo correction
Ive heard that trying to increase awareness has led to people smashing EVERY bug they see- or even turning to bug spray, and accidentally killing tons of native bugs! A video on them might do more harm than good
@@justalittleloser2482 respectfully, that's ridiculous. Turning to poison that kills everything is the result of people not knowing what to look for. Proper Education doesn't result in that.
Possible but unlikely, given that Deep Look appears to be based in California.
We’ve got them here in Brooklyn NY, they’re awful, I go out of my way to destroy every lantern fly I see 😂
@@tylernaturalist6437 get the nymphs too. small and bright red.
Morning glories were always one of my favourite flowers, but now they are even more because they are the only reason this beautiful bee exists.
Unfortunately, bindweed in Colorado is aggressively invasive. Choking out native plants and wrapping around structures. We are told and tasked to remove any we find. Luckily we found an insects that eats bindweed so the numbers in our native areas should be dropping into a controlled population.
Yep. We Coloradoans have to appreciate all of our wildlife, including bugs. 😊
Thankfully this bindweed is native in CA and one species is even protected!
Is this the native one? Because I see a lot of the invasive bindweed in California
the cuteness is unbearable
The camera work is nothing short of amazing. Great job!
Glad you think so!
I was baffled the whole time. I get that most of nature footage is just pointing a camera at a spot for hours and then cutting out the juicy bits but wow, those were some clean, perfectly focused shots of hovering flies.
We have similar flies in the Netherlands, which shoot their eggs into solitary bees’ nests, but the tunnels I’ve never heard of. Quite amazing…!
Very cool - do you recall the species name?
The one I am most familiar with is Anthrax anthrax, which I have seen around the bee hotels in my garden. Bombylius major is also quite common, parasitizing on what we call ‘sand bees’ (Andrena). They are quite beautiful when foraging on flowers.
But in the dunes of The Hague, you can also find less common species. Although I am not be sure if they have the same ‘shooting’ technique.
They are all part of the family of bee flies (Bombyliidae) :) We call them them ‘wool hoverers’ (in Dutch ‘wolzwevers’, due to the hairy bodies of some species. ‘Bee flies’ is a term that we use to refer to a various hover flies that look like bees.
2:00 And not a few days ago, I was walking around Aberdeen, and seeing bindweed flowers thought to myself, “surely, these are morning glories!”
Thanks for the clarification, Deep Look!
😁
The music is my favorite part. It’s the icing on the cake seeing lil wiggly bee bums with pollen pants. :)
0:42 to 0:45 Hello likely varroa mite! (little red guy on the flower; think of them like giant ticks that live on bees. Not native; not good)
Wow good eye to spot the mite! We were thinking it might be a red spider mite.
@@KQEDDeepLook That possible, but it seemed very excited by the presence of the bees. Both mating and foraging are considered likely vectors for when the mites get to hop bees and/or colonies.
We're looking into a story about varroa mites - stay tuned!
Nature can be both horrifying and adorable at the same time
These bees remind me of Australian Dawson’s bees, which are just as aggressive during the mating season.
I am entirely too emotionally attached to these bees. They looked so adorable peeking out of their turrets, or with their pollen pants. And I was even angry at the bee flies for killing the baby bindweed bees!
I'm sorry to say this in front of you but that's how nature works there is literally nothing you could do about it
Amazing pictures! And amazing soundtrack by Seth Samuel!
Laughed so hard at the interrupted mating part!
"Nature is unfair" universal truth
We : Nature 🌿🍃 is beautiful!!
Le Nature :😒
When those bees invent the doorbell camera, it's all over for those flies, man.
they’re so cute omgg
Props to the ppl who helped protect the bees, good Karma and noted.
Man the male bees are on the next level of thirsty lol
Those pollen pants look cute on them!
Loved the zoom edit into the inside of the hole, I’m glad to see flys aren’t just pests to humans 😂
Pollen pants ❤ perfect. Amazing video and content. Thank you for improving my knowledge. Cheers from England.
Our pleasure!
Thanks. It's not often I see a good short video on a native bee species or any native pollinator for that matter.
Hi @KenS1267, I produced this episode of Deep Look. I produced an episode about another species of ground-nesting bee in California. This one digs nests at the beach: ruclips.net/video/UfMCZYkG5Xo/видео.html And former Deep Look producer Mike Seely produced this episode about carpenter bees native to California: ruclips.net/video/XjOfbEWVBpE/видео.html Enjoy! -Gabriela
You bet.
omg, they are sooo adorable! 😆
omg i love the little buzz they make
POLLEN PANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for this whole series, but especially this one. Love it!
the tilt shift makes the shots look unreal, keep it up!
the pollen pants shuffle into their nests was cute
Pollen pants has to be the cutest thing I've heard yet
The "pollen pants" part was adorable, lol.
Awww these bees are sooooo cute in their nests 🥹
(I love how their nesting parking lot was cordoned off)
Good karma right there.
@@KQEDDeepLook Very good karma. Wish more people/places took care of vital nature spots like this.
Cordon off a nesting spot for a short period of time to give a species a fighting chance; no real hassle to us, real win for nature
0:57 Aww, so cute!! What a beauty, keep it up!!!
What a wonderful video! Thank you! I have a Hive or Colony I don't know which to call it, of sweat bees. They've taken up residence in a patch of ground that is dry and hard. But they come to my yard for my flowers and water and when I walk over there to watch them take it all back down into the ground it just fascinating at Thrills me!
Always love watching stuff from deep look and eons and I am actually going to the Grand Canyon today because of eons video on it and because of deep looks videos on the peregrine falcon. Keep up the good work you guys are doing great! 😊👍
That is awesome! We love eons!
I'm just here for the "Pollen Pants" ;_; so freaking cute!
2:21 the little teenie tiny feet sticking out 😆😂
2:30 can we appreciate how perfectly round that nest is.. also beebutt
Bee : Work Hard
Fly : Bird Smart
California is full of interesting bees!
the fact that when a actual bee comes near me irl im scared, but when im watching these types of videos im calling them adorable
Man i love solitary bees.. so much diversity
Love your videos about solitary bees!😍
Glad you like them!
That bee flies with style with those pollen pants 😂
So nice to see there's an actual use for bindweed (which is terribly difficult to get rid of)
Your videos are always interesting and amazing to look at. Thanks. ❤
I really enjoy watching insects and other animals build stuff, it’s so fascinating that they can do that even without much of a literal brain
Forget this. If I were a zoologist, I would've called that the "Cuckoo fly" for reference
I love Deep Look! I always learn so much about nature. Bee flies are something I would like to know more about? We have them in our area.
What are they for in nature?
I love learning about Bees in general. Thank you Deep Look 💜🥰✌
I love watching bees doing their bees stuff. Buzzy business with their fuzzy body🐝
you earned a like for the pollen pants. i couldn't not smile at that
amazing story and amazing video as always! great job！
Glad you enjoyed it!
Amazing camera work! So interesting!
the fluffy pollen pants are too darn cute
Pollen Pants! So cute :D Thanks, for showing us this Gem.
Pollen pantaloons
The pollen pants make them look like Sir Mix-a-Lot with his parachute pants😅
God I love these, love nature's robust persistent ways of perseverance. You can see the beauty of the yin and yang of influence is aww inspiring
2:21 Pollen Pants!! 🥰🥰
This was beautiful! I was gonna say that the wasp was more gross when laying egg on spider, but the beefly was more terrifying!
"Pollen pants!" gave me a giggle. Bees with bloomers!
The complexity of nature is astounding
Good gosh this channel continues to drop the coolest videos
Thanks so much - we love making them.
those lines are so important for these bees, imagine letting people just step on them nests and a bee fly bombing eggs here and there easily from crushed tunnels :'
My favorite deep look video are the bees
This is amazing as usual ❤
"Buzzkill". Good one, Deep Look!
The bee turrets remind me of the turret spiders (my absolute favorite videos of all!), and I have a question: How have they - and all the other critters in your films - been doing in all the wildfire disasters over the last two or three years???
im not from that area but
if humans dont interfear or make bad stuff
Most animals or Plants that live in areas where its normal to have fires
are adaptet to deal with fire
when you watch and look at the wildfires in Australia
most dead or dying animals where around human setlements stuck on or near fences or climbet non native trees/plants
for instance native australian trees like eucalyptus dont really burn so during a fire animals are safe by just climbing all the way up
sadly animals dont see the diffrence between a native tree wheres safe to climb up
and non native introduced trees who arent safe cause these trees mostly come from areas where no fires are so these trees /plants dont have any defence and just burn completly down with all the animals up there
most fires ,floods and others are only so worse now cause we humans changed the evoriment for us but made it worse for everythign else ( including us)
I’m sure she sends them an email every 6 months
Hello! I'm one of the researchers KQED consulted for this and so have been going to these sites the past few years.
Funny enough, the plant they get their pollen from (Calystegia) is doing REALLY well right now, I think in part due to all of the dead trees (they are climbing vines), full sun, and the rain we got his winter. We were a little bit worried early this spring because of the heavy heavy rain we got this past winter though, one site in particular had a lot of nests washed out. But the bees at the other sites were out in abundance, and with plenty of food!
@@pollenmicrobes Thank you so much! That's awesome to hear!
I love this channel !!! I learn so much from it. 😊 You make it fun to learn something new.
Awesome! Thank you Amber!
POLLEN PANTS ARE SO CUTE
Wonderfull shots. Great effort is taken to shoot with camera. Great
Thank you Laura..... love you much ❤️❤️❤️
Lol I love how they don't even use their pollen covered legs they just slowly drag themselves in haha
Those lil legs when they wear the pollen pants while going in lol! Reminds me of Yosemite Sam
I love this channel so much ❤️
This video is so cool! 'Tis amazing what goes on right under our nose, er toes. Thanks again Deep Look!👍
Glad you liked it!
Great Video again! I love your channel so much 💕💫🐩
I thought that bindweed was a non-native species in the US, how is it that they only rely on bindweed flowers for pollen?
EDIT: Looks like there's a native bindweed, Calystegia, and a non-native, Convolvulus! The bee uses both.
Hi @giddy7079 I produced this episode. You're right that there are native and non-native bindweeds and that the bindweed turret bee forages in both. According to the University of California, Davis, scientists who research them, the bees we filmed were foraging on Calystegia occidentalis, a native species of bindweed. But elsewhere they do forage on Convulvulus, which isn't native. Thanks for watching! Cheers, Gabriela
@gabrielaquiros1966 thank you for your response Gabriela, amazing work as always.
I guarantee you, bindweed is VERY native
Isn't the morning glory Ipomoea? Do those bees use sweet potatoes?
@@pierreabbat6157 Hi, I produced this episode of Deep Look. According to the University of California, Davis, scientists who research them, the bees we filmed were foraging on Calystegia occidentalis, a native species of bindweed. Elsewhere in California they are known to forage on Convulvulus, which isn't native. Both Calystegia and Convulvulus are in the same plant family, Convolvulaceae, as Ipomoea. But I don't believe that these bees forage on Ipomoea. Thank you for watching! -Gabriela
the music choice is so unique and fitting!
All our music in Deep Look is composed by Seth Samuel!
Beautiful bee
I love Bees so much. So many different species. I adore the eusocial species the most though. For the Hive!
i was caught off guard by how cute there lil pants are
Imagine living comfortably in your burrow, when out of nowhere a fly flies to the entrance, lays an egg, and flew away
Can you make an episode all about insect mouth parts? Can we get some really cool macro shots?
Hi @experssion123 I'm the coordinating producer at Deep Look and one of the episode producers. I've made a few episodes about arthropod mouth parts. In fact, Deep Look's most popular episode is one about mosquito mouth parts -- they're made up of six needles: ruclips.net/video/rD8SmacBUcU/видео.html And here's an episode I made about tick mouth parts. After watching, you'll understand why it's so hard to flick a tick: ruclips.net/video/_IoOJu2_FKE/видео.html And here's my episode about kissing bugs -- they have a mechanism to cool down the blood they drink as it enters their bodies: ruclips.net/video/79bVKq_vTR0/видео.html Enjoy! -Gabriela
@experssion123 I almost forgot to recommend our episode about bed bugs. You'll get a very nice close-up view of their mouth parts ... and also their feet. I promise this episode has a happy ending! ruclips.net/video/ToeWrGTGOOI/видео.html Cheers, Gabriela
Loook at those cuties!! Whos not gonna appreciate them!!! ❤❤❤
I had no idea we had these in California! Nor that bindweed was a native plant. No wonder it was so hard to clear out of our front yard 🤦🏻♂️ wish I had known back then.
Great job and peaceful and informative video👍👍 super documentary! Greetings👍👍
Best episode of deep look ever!!
Wow! Thanks for the kind words!