{"id":2420,"date":"2010-07-05T11:14:02","date_gmt":"2010-07-05T17:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/?p=2420"},"modified":"2010-07-12T15:49:48","modified_gmt":"2010-07-12T21:49:48","slug":"hovering-hymenoptera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/?p=2420","title":{"rendered":"Hovering Hymenoptera"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Observations at a Volleyball Court,\u00a0accompanied by\u00a0an\u00a0ID &amp; Behavioral Challenge<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Volleyballbig-1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2443\" title=\"Volleyballbig-1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Volleyballbig-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Volleyballbig-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Volleyballbig-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/IMG_7598.jpg\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>While on holiday in Oklahoma this weekend, I\u00a0happened by this volleyball court on the way to the pool.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0My attention was immediately drawn to movements that I observed in my periphery.\u00a0 Here is what I\u00a0observed from sand level&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hovering Hymenoptera I: Court View\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ltTayWG8aP0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>and close-up from above&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hovering Hymenoptera II: Close-Up\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gZLZlrX7wK4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0species\u00a0may be territorial.\u00a0 While individuals came close to each other it appeared like there were brief chases and overall there was an emergent spatial pattern (I think you can see it in the first video) suggestive of territoriality.\u00a0\u00a0 I tried to\u00a0follow the movement of a\u00a0single individual but it\u00a0was\u00a0too difficult for me.<\/p>\n<p>After spending more time, continuing to ignore my children swimming and doing flips of the side of the pool, I made these more detailed observations suggestive of\u00a0territoriality as well.\u00a0 In the first video, you will see interactions between numerous live individuals with a single dead individual of the same species&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hovering Hymenoptera: Interactions with a Dead Individial\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4nlblr9DVJc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Here is a close-up image of\u00a0an instance of this\u00a0behavior&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/IMG_7570.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2429\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/IMG_7570.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"299\" height=\"202\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In the second video, you will see interactions of these hymenoptera with a mottled leaf&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hovering Hymenoptera: Interactions with a Mottled Leaf\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DJADJ7mGXHU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Here is a close-up image of\u00a0an instance of this\u00a0behavior&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/IMG_7560.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-2431\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/IMG_7560-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/IMG_7560-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/IMG_7560-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/IMG_7560.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The fact that the colors of the leaf are similar to some of those found in the wasps themselves made me wonder if I could\u00a0elicit the behavior with another leaf.\u00a0 The leaf I chose to use, unlike the one I found them naturally interacting with, was entirely yellow.\u00a0 What do you hypothesize will happen?<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hovering Hymenoptera: Interactions with a Yellow Leaf\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PjF9l4S0G7I?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Around the periphery of the volleyball court, I noticed holes in the sand that were approximately the same diameter as the cylinder shape of the insect themselves (see below), although maybe a bit weathered.\u00a0 I should have dug them up but didn&#8217;t think of it at the time.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/IMG_7535.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-2428\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/IMG_7535-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/IMG_7535-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/IMG_7535-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/IMG_7535.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I had noticed similar behavior in a much smaller number of cicada killers in a children&#8217;s sandbox, but had no idea what type of hymenoptera this species was.\u00a0 Similar, I wondered, was this a mating swarm?\u00a0 Where they recently emerged individuals?\u00a0 What was the ratio of genders?\u00a0 How long does this behavior persist?\u00a0 What resources\u00a0might they use to maintain their energy?<\/p>\n<p>A few curious individuals did happen to come by while I was making my observations, and I received seemingly conflicting reports on their longevity.\u00a0 One adult\u00a0mentioned that they are there all the time, while a couple of kids arriving to play volleyball hadn&#8217;t noticed them there the day before.\u00a0 In fact, later that night I saw, from afar, four people playing volleyball.\u00a0 I might add, that to get some of the images and video, I walked in amongst the\u00a0swarm.\u00a0 I did so slowly but felt that they may have ignored me even if I had walked in at a normal pace.<\/p>\n<p>So, here&#8217;s the challenge&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What is the genus and\/or species of this hymenoptera?\u00a0 and<\/li>\n<li>What the heck are they doing?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/hymenoptera_up_close.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-2434\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/hymenoptera_up_close-300x211.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"211\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/hymenoptera_up_close-300x211.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/hymenoptera_up_close-1024x720.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/hymenoptera_up_close.jpg 1144w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>As mentioned\u00a0in response to Brad&#8217;s post on aphids, I think a collection of such videos and images could make an interesting series of ecological activities for students, and possibly a series of models for\u00a0them to produce their own reports, blogs, etc&#8230; on interesting outdoor observations that can motivate learning of particular ecological principles.<\/p>\n<p>For anyone that responds with the answers, unknown to me with any certainty, it would be nice, and potentially helpful in the future, for you to provide links to websites that helped in your identification.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Observations at a Volleyball Court,\u00a0accompanied by\u00a0an\u00a0ID &amp; Behavioral Challenge While on holiday in Oklahoma this weekend, I\u00a0happened by this volleyball court on the way to the pool.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0My attention was immediately drawn to movements that I observed in my periphery.\u00a0 Here is what I\u00a0observed from sand level&#8230; and close-up from above&#8230; The\u00a0species\u00a0may be territorial.\u00a0 While individuals<br \/><a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/?p=2420\">+ Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_s2mail":"","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[109,36,38,8],"tags":[31,214,213,212,211,210],"class_list":["post-2420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-id-challenge","category-nature","category-student-research-ideas","category-teaching-resources","tag-animal-behavior","tag-animal-videos","tag-bicyrtes","tag-hymenoptera","tag-sand-wasps","tag-wasps"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2420"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2420\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2444,"href":"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2420\/revisions\/2444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}