|
Post by Paul K on Mar 28, 2015 14:43:23 GMT
Do female honey bees mud puddling? In my collecting trip in Central Laos beside one specimen of butterfly I usualy have got about 10 to 20 wild honey bees together inside my net. And then of course I had to insert my arm inside the net to reach for my collected specimen , having a question : are they going to sting me ? They were very gentle and not pose any agression to me. However there were hundreds of them and if there were female bees as well I guess when they would feel threaten the end could be very painful.
|
|
|
Post by cabintom on Mar 28, 2015 18:20:53 GMT
Could they have been flies? I've seen some flies that look remarkably like bees.
|
|
|
Post by Paul K on Mar 28, 2015 18:45:09 GMT
I am affraid they were not flies Tom . And the local man who went with me was scared to get close to them saying : bees . I was surrounded by them but they seem to ignor me and just do drinking . Butterflies usualy only male do mud puddling but I don't know about bees.
Paul
|
|
|
Post by Adam Cotton on Mar 28, 2015 19:07:34 GMT
Bees can be very common on mud in SE Asia, and I am pretty sure they are females. They also like the salts in urine bait. I once tried using the salty SE Asian fish sauce instead of urine - butterflies were not interested but the bees were all over it.
Adam.
|
|
jensb
Junior Aurelian
Posts: 50
Country: Netherlands
|
Post by jensb on Mar 28, 2015 20:36:11 GMT
And they are not only mudpuddling for them selfs some bee species need mud or some soil to build there brood cells.
Greets jens
|
|
|
Post by cabintom on Mar 28, 2015 22:11:28 GMT
Learn something new everyday.
|
|
|
Post by Paul K on Mar 29, 2015 2:35:49 GMT
So I understand that bees rather then butterflies have ladies mad puddling instead of males. That makes me a bit worry for the future collecting. In fact the honey bees were really not agressive and with about 10 of them in my net and my arm they did not want to fight their way out just buzz around and waited to be released.
Paul
|
|
|
Post by Adam Cotton on Mar 29, 2015 14:24:45 GMT
Normally they are indeed relatively docile when mud-puddling, although a friend was stung by one in his net once when I took him to Laos some years ago. Probably he accidentally pressed his arm against it in the net.
Near my house here in Chiang Mai there is a wild bees' nest on the village water tower. During hot weather the bees come down to the filtration system below the tower in large numbers and take water up to the nest.
Adam.
PS. A Thai friend also got stung by a mud-puddling bee near Kaeng Krajan a couple of years ago. Hopefully you won't have the same problem.
|
|
|
Post by Paul K on Mar 29, 2015 14:54:55 GMT
I hope so too Adam. We arrived late afternoon and have found bungalow at small creek . I have seen many small blue Laceanidae sp. mud puddling . I hope tomorrow I'll see some interesting species . The honey bees of course are here too Paul
|
|
|
Post by Paul K on Apr 2, 2015 15:23:42 GMT
Another collecting trip this time in Thailand north of the largest National Park -Kaeng Krachan and another experience with wild honey bees. It was very hot , sunny day as the month of April is the hottest month in SE Asia. During collecting below one of the water falls the bees started to have interest in me. First instinct reaction is to run away or try to gently move around to fight back any possible attack, but i noticed that one of the bees just seat on my arm and drink salts as I said before it was the very hot day. They were not attacking but looking for some salts in the sweat. I preferred to move slowly a little distance from them as I did not want to be their source of minerals even though they were very gentle insects. Suan Phueng-Thailand
|
|
|
Post by wollastoni on Apr 2, 2015 15:40:00 GMT
What a splendid place ! There must have been many butterflies !
|
|
|
Post by Adam Cotton on Apr 2, 2015 16:26:49 GMT
You went to the right place for bees - "Suan Phueng" means Bee garden! Indeed they are after the salt, and will only sting you if you accidentally provoke them, such as if you crouch down trapping one on the back of your knee. Adam.
|
|
|
Post by Paul K on Apr 3, 2015 5:15:14 GMT
You went to the right place for bees - "Suan Phueng" means Bee garden! Indeed they are after the salt, and will only sting you if you accidentally provoke them, such as if you crouch down trapping one on the back of your knee. Adam. I realize that after all. My Thai is now at about two years old kid level maybe lower ! Hope this will improve with the time. Olivier it is splendid place as all tropical forests as you know and many butterflies compered to temperate climate of course . However i have not see or catch any Delias sp. or any Papilio sp. except few Graphium sp. and Papilio clytia clytia. As always very beautiful site to see flying Troides aeacus. Paul
|
|
|
Post by Adam Cotton on Apr 3, 2015 9:08:44 GMT
It is probably heaving with butterflies in late February, when the main spring emergence happens. Early June may also be good, and late July-early August, but during the rainly season you need to be aware of the possibility of flash floods in the forest around the Kaeng Krajan area, as a lot of rain can fall very quickly and run off the hills. A Thai friend had problems one time in the Lin Chang area just across the border in Petchaburi province, a little south of where you went.
Another problem that needs to be considered in the whole of the western area is wild elephants, as they can be dangerous. You should take advice from the locals, such as the owner of the guest house you stay at, as they tend to be around in particular places only at certain times of the year.
Adam.
|
|
|
Post by Paul K on Apr 3, 2015 13:24:43 GMT
Thanks Adam for expert advise and been always helpful. I will most likely return there in late July. I am also planing to go south of Kaeng Krachan as I belive the habitat will be more as a tropical rain forest. Northern area is a mixed bamboo forest in the mountains.
Paul PS I will email list of species I encounter there soon.
|
|