[Pollinator] Bumblebee in spider's web rescued by other bumblebee

[Peter Bernhardt]

Dear Liz:

I'm not convinced either.  The footage doesn't convince me that one bee is
trying to save another.  It looks like a second bee blundered into the web
after the first one.  Note that the man filming the activity said he went
outside and released BOTH of the bees.  On the other hand, it would not
surprise me that a tangled bee's first response it to sting and it might
(note, I say might) have nicked the spider.  Otherwise, its thrashing might
have knocked the spider out of the web.  It was having a hard time with the
first bee.  The second probably strained the tensile strength of the web
filaments.  This is what happens when you get too much of a good thing.

Does anyone else have anecdotal or published material to confirm that bees
are known to sting spiders following web entrapment?  Of course, there is
plenty of literature on wasps preying on spiders.  I saw that once, as a
boy.

Peter


On Wed, Jul 30, 2014 at 1:23 PM, Liz Day <lizday44 at sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> >Subject: Bumblebee in spider's web rescued by other bumblebee
> >
> >>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs_3FHh3z4o
>
> I'm not so sure about this. As nearly as I can tell, it does not appear to
> me that the second bee is aiming for the spider, or that it actually stung
> it. When slowed down, it looks almost as if the dark projection which is
> pointed out as being the sting might be one of the second bee's hind legs.
> What do others think?
>
> Liz
> Indy
>
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