Bee-Hawk Moths

[nomad]

Hawks moths have always held an interest for me and I believe are still popular with collectors. I once bred Deaths Head Hawk Moths [Acherontia atropos] with their giant caterpillars feeding on privet in my breeding cages. Then there were the times looking into the M.V. moth trap to find such beauties as Eyed Hawk Moths [Smerinthus ocellata], Poplar Hawk Moths [Laothoe populi] and Elephant Hawk Moths [Deilephila elenor]. I used to have a mass of honeysuckle in my garden and used to love to watch the Elephant Hawks Moths as they visited the wonderful scented flowers with their long proboscis. In open grassland in a large woodland I well remember the delight of finding the very stunning Small Elephant Hawk moths [Deilephila porcellus] in my moth trap. Humming-bird Hawk Moths[ Macroglossum stellatarum] were a very rare visitors to where I lived but at least I managed to see them. However the two British species of Bee-Hawk Moths always eluded me until recently. If they were to be found in my home county or the neighbouring counties they were not common because I used to spend countless hours of long summer days in the woods, fields and downs, wherever I could get to, to collect insects and I never saw the two remarkable Bee-Hawk Moths in spite of often sitting patiently by nectar sources such as Bugle which will attract these insects.

Visiting the Norfolk Broads last year I was engaged in photographing Swallowtail butterflies [Papilio machaon britannicus] when a person from a nearby holiday cottage, who previously had come across to discuss with interest what I was doing, asked if I could come into his garden to have a look at a large strange Bee than was hovering over his bed of Valerian plants. Arriving I found his large family and friends assembled around the Valerian to view the strange Bee. They were most surprised to find it was not a bee but an uncommon moth, in fact a lovely day-flying Broad-bordered Bee-hawk moth [Hemaris fuciformis]. These moths rarely stay at a nectar source for long and move at high speed. Fumbling with my camera to adjust the shutter speed, I manged to get a few decent images.


A Broad-bordered-Bee-Hawk moth [Hemaris fuciformis] at Valerian in the Norfolk Broads.

Recently, when I was on holiday in Scotland, I visited a large open hilly common that was intersected with boggy valleys. I had come here to look for fritillary butterflies . I found a boggy and grassy knoll with a adjacent copse and was delighted to find a number of the nationally scarce Narrow-Broadered Bee-Hawk Moths [Hemaris tityus]. I managed to observe and photograph them over several hours. One of my best lepidoptera moments. They flew at high speed and did indeed look like large bees as they sought nectar at flowers. I found it very difficult to get good images as they moved quickly among the flowers. I also saw ovapositing females on their foodplant the Devil's Bit Scabious [ Succisa pratensis], when in bloom it is one of my favourite late summer flowers with its globular blue heads. This plant is also the foodplant of the rare Marsh Fritillary butterfly [Euphydryas aurinia] and which I had come here to see. Sometimes the Marsh Fritillary males, who can also fly at high speed, would chase the feeding Bee-Hawk moths.
Narrow Broad Bee- Hawk Moth [ Hemaris tityus] in Scotland.

feeding at Bluebell.


Taking nectar at Lousewort.

Female egg-laying on Devil's Bit Scabious.

I believe there is another very beautiful Bee Hawk in Europe, Hemaris croatica which is found in Central Europe, Italy, Greece to Russia. I have read there are 17 species worldwide with a number that are found North America, North Africa and Asia. I should be pleased to hear of other members observations of the species mentioned in this thread or of other species they have encountered or specimens they have to show.

[nomad]

Any collectors from North America have information or specimens of their Bee Hawk Moths?

[evra]

I'm rearing some that I collected as larvae right now. The species is Hemaris diffinis and they feed on Symphoricarpos (snowberry). They are very easy to rear.

[nomad]

Hi evra, Hermaris diffinis [ Snowberry Clearwing] is a very nice and variable species of this genus. I do hope you manage to bring them through to the adults. It has a similar foodplant to our European Hermaris fuciformis which also will feed on Honeysuckle. In captivity H. fuciformis will eat Snowberry which is a introduced shrub here.

[leptraps]

When rearing any of the North American Hemaris you will be surprised to discover when they emerge from the pupa, their wings are solid black. Once the wings are stiff and the moth it flutters its wings, black dust takes flight and the wings are clear. I have tried everything to kill one before it can flutter its wings. I even tried freezing them, but all mine have clear wings.

[nomad]

Hello leptraps. Interesting information. Once the black scales are gone, I see in North America they are called Clearwings. In Europe this English name is reserved for those strange moths of the Sesiidae family. Do you have all the North American species in your collection. It would nice to be able to view the different species here?.

[boogtwo]

I have reared many NA species, but don't have pictures handy. Not a clearwing, but one I have pictures of put together is actually an introduced species to Hawaii that is found in many other countries.

Macroglossum pyrrhosticta.


Maybe an interesting tidbit about this species in Hawaii is that it flies year-round, not the April to August most references state for Hawaii. I have observed them in high numbers there especially in December and January a couple of times. While it can be found flying diural in HI, it is most abundantly on the wing right at the last light of dusk. The large stands of Bougainvillea attract them in very high numbers. It's larva use Paederia and Psychotria.

Attachments:

[nomad]

Hi Boogtwo, we have a similar species of Hawk/Sphinx moth Macroglossum stellatarum which is a migrant to Britain. Most years few are seen and then it will occasionally visit us in fair numbers. I have usually seen this species hovering over Buddleia along the south coast of England in the late summer. When good numbers visit Britain it will breed here. Who introduced M. Pyrrhosticta to Hawaii from Asia.

[miguel]

Hi all:

Here in Castellon,in the east part of Spain,Macroglossum stellatarum can be found from February until November ad you can find specimens near the coast or the mountains,H.tityus and H.fuciformis only fly in May-June in the mountains but at not very high altitudes.

Miguel

[nomad]

Jun 18, 2013 11:06:43 GMT -8 miguel said:

Hi all:

Here in Castellon,in the east part of Spain,Macroglossum stellatarum can be found from February until November ad you can find specimens near the coast or the mountains,H.tityus and H.fuciformis only fly in May-June in the mountains but at not very high altitudes.

Miguel

Hi. Are H. tityus and H. fuciformis common or scarce in your area of Spain. These two species also fly in May-June in Britain.

[miguel]

Hi:


In 15 years I have collected only 3 H.fuciformis,H.tityus is more common than H.fuciformis,the biggest problem that I have found with the two species is that I know a place where they fly together,but they have a big population of vipers as neighbours.


Miguel

[mantisboy]

Here are some Hemaris from Wisconsin.

[nomad]

Jun 18, 2013 13:00:55 GMT -8 mantisboy said:

Here are some Hemaris from Wisconsin. View Attachment

Hi What species are your specimens?

[oehlkew]

Four Hemaris species are generally accepted as flying in USA.
They are listed in Macroglossinae section at

www.silkmoths.bizland.com/usatable.htm

[boogtwo]

Jun 18, 2013 9:20:24 GMT -8 nomad said:

Hi Boogtwo..... Who introduced M. Pyrrhosticta to Hawaii from Asia.

Macroglossum pyrrhosticta was first recorded in Hawaii in the mid 70's (on Oahu). Whether is was a natural colonization or one induced by man intentionally or accidentally (more likely) I don't know, but it was not "officially" introduced to Hawaii, a mistake that has been made in Hawaii before with other Lepidopteran species that they had learned from (see below). During the 80's and 90's when I did most of my lepidopteran field work in Hawaii I found them on four islands (Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Hawaii).

For adults: Have seen them nectar on a very long list of plants in the daytime - but always in very small numbers; in high numbers at dusk on large stands of some plants, but they probaly also visit the others; and they will come to a light.

For ova or larva: Psychotria hawaiiensis is native to Hawaii, Paederia foetida is not native and an invasive species there. Both are most often found in lowland wet forest habitats.

The best known intentional lepidopteran introduction that went bad in Hawaii is probably Strymon bazochii. It was intoduced around 1900 for its larval control of Lantana (a very, very invasive species there). The introduction of S. bazochii was a huge mistake because the adults themselves are a cheif pollenator of Lantana in Hawaii that continually increases the numbers of both plant and bug. Lantana grows to monsterous size in Hawaii, chokes out and replaces other native plant species. One of the most noxious "weeds" in Hawaii now (and in other places worldwide). S. bazochii on the wing could also be called noxious when they are everywhere is massive numbers (including in downtown major cities). I remember one January ('90 or '91) when from Waikiki to the Kaimuki area there were hundreds of thousands flying just inches above the ground in wave after wave.