Beewolf vs Sweat Bee: A Loosestrife Ambush

All is calm, Sweat bee feeding on Loosestrife

While filming pollinators on a patch of yellow loosestrife, we captured something unexpected. A sweat bee, moments earlier calmly foraging, was attacked mid-feed by a beewolf wasp. What followed was a short, violent struggle across the petals. They tumbled together, locked in combat, before falling to the ground and disappearing from sight. About a minute later, the beewolf re-emerged and flew off, the bee suspended beneath it.

Philanthus triangulum, commonly known as the beewolf, is a solitary hunting wasp. Though often overlooked, they’re highly efficient predators. Females specialise in hunting solitary bees—particularly honeybees and sweat bees—which they paralyse with a sting and carry back to their underground nests. There, the bees serve as a food source for the next generation of wasps.

The sweat bee in the video was likely Lasioglossum calceatum or a close relative. These bees are important generalist pollinators, visiting a wide range of native wildflowers throughout the season. On this occasion, it was on loosestrife, a favourite nectar source for many pollinators.

Encounters like this are reminders that wildflower meadows and rewilded corners aren’t just pretty backdrops. They’re habitats, shaped by millions of quiet interactions, including predator and prey. For beewolves to hunt, and for solitary bees to thrive, the diversity and density of our native flora must be restored.

Moments like this are easy to miss without close observation, but they’re happening constantly. This is the kind of ecological complexity we’re trying to bring back, one seedball at a time.

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