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Brave save from one or are there two?
Noortje van den Broek has made a grand salvation. According to her, she fished out one that had landed in a water bowl, and put it on dry land. She wondered what kind of animal was on the back of the bee. She thought of another. It is even more beautiful: she not only saved two brick -bee bees (hard to see), but she also seems to have saved the mating with which the animals were saving.
Male bees – including males of the mason bees – landing on the back of the larger female. They will then clamp themselves and then start the mating. It doesn’t matter where that takes place, but it is a bit tricky in the water. After the deed the male releases and the mating succeeded. Hopefully mating of these two mason bees did not fall into the water. See also this Nice video from Vera van Loo From two other types of bricklaying bees.
Is this a bug at the back door?
Laurens from Oss found an animal at the back door of his house. He thinks this is a bug. His wife doubted and she is right. The insect in the photo is not a hens, but a beetle. The name is grooved Lapsnuit beetle, also known as a Taxus beetle. Grooveed papers are a true scourge for the beautiful tree species of yew. They are among the large beetle group of the snout beetles of which more than 60,000 species are known worldwide alone. Most adult beetles live from leaves. The larvae feed on roots of all kinds of crops. In our country we know about six hundred types of snout beetles, the grooved little beetle of which is one. This snout beetle originates originally in our country and is therefore not an invasive species.
The Taxus also traditionally occurs in our country. This is one of the three pine trees that traditionally occurs here, next to the Grove Den and the Juniper. Some people think that this grooved piece of cloth beetle becomes the next scourge in the garden after the boxwood moth, but I doubt that. I even see more yew bushes coming up in the nature reserves again. That is very nice, because the yew belongs to our forest systems.
Something strange in an oak tree
Lis Schrijver had seen something in the oak tree that she had never seen before. She sent me a photo of it and would like to know what it is. On the photo see a large brown -white sphere on the oak branch. Often there are several in a tree, as you can see on the attached photo that Ellen van Vlierden took.
This name of this ball is potato gal. Potato galls are caused by a collaboration between the Zomerik and the potato galp (Biorhiza Pallida). Potato gap wasps belong to the group of the fleece wings and can become a maximum of six millimeters in size. Fertilized females of the potato galp laying eggs on the young roots of the summer oaks in root galloping. In the spring, female wasps crawled out of those eggs. These accidented and unfertilized female potato gaps then crawl to the tops of the twigs and lay their eggs – mainly in the end buttons of the summer oak. Those eggs cause a special growth form in the summer oak. This way the potato gal is formed. That potato gal is the maternity room for the larvae that come from those eggs. A potato gal has several rooms, in contrast to the famous bile apple that only counts a room. Only males or only females occur per potato gal. After the Larven stage, these potato gap wasps pupate, crawl out of the potato galls and the males and females go looking for each other. The fertilized females then lay their eggs in the roots on the young roots of the summer oaks and so the cycle is complete.
SECTION Beautiful photos
In the section beautiful photos this time a photo taken by Bas van Boxtel. He recorded a sneaking beek bolt in the Kampina nature reserve.
Natural tip
On Sunday 18 May you can discover the new nature of the Bossche Broek from ten in the morning until five in the afternoon. In recent years, the Brabant Landschap Foundation has worked hard on nature development in the Bossche Broek Zuid area. The area – located south of Den Bosch – is part of the Nature Network Brabant and is designated as ‘wet nature pearl’. These areas have extra natural value that depends on a good (ground) water quality and quantity.
Sins the sixties of the last century many lands have been drained for agriculture, while many plants and animals in the area need a high water level. In addition, nature suffers from a high nitrogen deposition. In the Bossche Broek Zuid we have to deal with both acidification and drying out. Measures were desperately needed!
Go on the road and discover this new nature! A guide takes you through the area. Along the way, experts from Brabants Landschap, Water Board De Dommel and contractor Vissers Teammakers tell about the work and nature. The walk is approximately three kilometers long, and lasts about one and a half to two hours.
More information:
• Registration is mandatory and is possible via This link.
• The departure point is Buitenlokaal Haanwijk on Haanwijk 4A in Sint Michielsgestel.
• Parking is possible in the Halderse Akkers parking lot in Sint-Michielsgestelaan de Haanwijk 4a.
• Reserve via a time slot, see At the bottom of this link.
• Participation is free.