Blue-Banded Bee (anthophorid genus amegilla)
Image: Dave Hinchliffe
Last Observed: November 2015
Observed By: Dave Hinchliffe
The blue-banded be is a bee, with blue bands. In fact it’s a dead ringer for the yellow and black honey bee that you’re probably more familiar with except for the colour variation. And it doesn’t make honey.
It is a vital insect to agriculture and also to natural plant pollination – particularly in Australia – because it practises a very efficient form of pollination know as buzz pollination.
The blue-banded bee can sting but is less agressive than other species of bee and they are solitary dwellers.
Blue-banded bee Wikipedia
Weaver Ant (Oecophylla smaragdina)
Image: David Vinot
Last Observed: February 2015, Koh Chang
Observed By: David Vinot
The small but hardy Weaver Ant is a commonly seen insect on Koh Chang. They make nests in trees from leaves that are stitched together with silk produced by their larvae – hence the name.
Weaver Ant Wikipedia
Image Copyright David Vinot
Image Copyright David Vinot
Image Copyright David Vinot
Lesser-Banded Hornet (Vespa affinis)
Image Copyright David Vinot
Last Observed: February 2015, Koh Chang
Observed By: David Vinot
Not to be confused with the Greater-Banded Hornet (the bands are… less) the Lesser-Banded Hornet is a native Koh Chang insect species.
Hornets are a sub-family of wasps that have a venom that is slightly more painful to humans. they are also able, like bees and wasps to summon the whole nest to attack by releasing a special attack pheremone.
Hornets Wikipedia
Tropical Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa latipes)
Image: David Vinot
Last Observed: 2015, Koh Chang
Observed By: Paitoon Praiboung, Perry Stevens, David Vinot
The Tropical Carpenter Bee is a large solitary dwelling bee that lives in burrowed holes in wood or in bamboo stems. It is one of the largest bees in the world and Koh Chang is a perfect habitat for it.
And get this, they mate on the wing!
Tropical Carpenter Bee Wikipedia
Image Copyright Perry Stevens
Image Copyright Paitoon Praiboung
Image Copyright Paitoon Praiboung
