第 0980 號，共 1 402 號

Mexican honey wasp

Brachygastra mellifica

名字的由來： The genus name Brachygastra comes from Ancient Greek words meaning 'short belly', and the species name mellifica is Latin for 'to make honey'.1

只是會痛會痛，但不會對你造成嚴重傷害。

蜜蜂、胡蜂和虎頭蜂

螫吃：昆蟲

對人的危險: 疼痛可能會非常痛，但幾乎從來不會很嚴重。

The Mexican honey wasp is a small social wasp that lives in colonies and builds large paper nests. It is one of the few wasps that makes honey, and it helps pollinate avocado flowers. It lives from Panama through Central America and Mexico, and in parts of Arizona and Texas.1

分布在

From northern Panama through Central America and Mexico, plus southeastern Arizona and southern Texas in the USA.1

北美洲

首頁

It builds its nest in the canopy of a shrub or tree, often 1 to 9 m above the ground, and the nest is well hidden by leaves. Nests are often reported in suburban areas close to people's homes.1

長度

7 mm 到 9 mm (0,3 in 到 0,4 in)1

最高速度

大約 20 km/h（12 mph）

飛行, 粗略估計

牠吃什麼？

It hunts the psyllid Diaphorina citri in tree shoots, sucking its body fluids and sometimes eating the whole insect. It also eats weevil larvae and moth larvae.1

Mexican honey wasp 的照片 — Mexican honey wasp。照片：Francisco Farriols Sarabia。 CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist.

怎麼認出牠

Alternating bands of yellow and black across the abdomen (the rear part of the body).1
Small, with a body length of 7 to 9 mm.1
Abdomen can be almost as wide as it is long.1
Paper nests 40 to 50 cm across, with a rough, brown or grey, non-glossy surface like cardboard.1
Queens have a dark reddish-brown abdomen.1

常被誤認為： It is very similar in appearance to Brachygastra lecheguana. The two species are mainly told apart by where they live.1

毒液力量

螫

毒液從螫針出來。

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 疼痛可能會非常痛，但幾乎從來不會很嚴重。

如果牠螫人

把蜜蜂的螫針刮掉，然後冷敷患處。
如果傷者呼吸困難、臉部或喉嚨腫脹，或覺得快要昏倒，這就是過敏急症：打緊急電話，如果傷者有腎上腺素自動注射筆，就使用它。

一定要先打緊急電話（112、000、911）。這是一般急救指引，不是醫療建議。急救基本知識

注意安全

絕對不要碰、抓或捉弄野生動物，就算是很小的動物，就算牠看起來在睡覺或已經死了也一樣。
給牠空間。如果遇到了，保持冷靜，慢慢往後退，讓牠自己離開。
如果被牠螫了：保持冷靜，保持不動，打緊急電話（112、000、911）或趕快去醫院。記住牠的樣子，有照片會很有幫助。

牠不是想來抓你。牠用毒液來捕捉食物或保護自己，而且牠更想躲起來。更多安全知識

在世界上的哪裡？

非洲亞洲歐洲北美洲南美洲澳洲與大洋洲

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

小到可以坐在你的指甲上可以在 19 秒內飛過一整座足球場

Mexican honey wasp 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡做算術。什麼都不會儲存，也不會傳送到任何地方。

牠有多快？

一隻家蠅 大約 7 km/h (4,4 mph)

Mexican honey wasp 大約 20 km/h (12 mph)

一個正在衝刺的人 大約 37 km/h (23 mph)

值得知道

小知識

It is one of only a few insects besides bees that make and store their own honey.1

A single nest can house anywhere from 3,500 to 18,700 wasps.1

In Los Reyes Metzontla, Mexico, the Popoloca people eat its honey and larvae, harvesting them when the moon is between its last quarter and waning gibbous.1

It helps pollinate avocados, carrying avocado pollen on its hairy head, thorax and legs.1

Scientists have studied it as a natural control for Diaphorina citri, a pest that spreads citrus greening disease.1