Bald-faced hornet hydrocarbons serve as a barrier to moisture diffusion and thus prevent dehydration in wasps. Cuticular hydrocarbon profiles vary over species and nests, and so cuticular hydrocarbons are a proposed mechanism for nest-mate recognition. Worker and queen cuticular lipids have similar components, but their distributions differ dramatically, implying that cuticular hydrocarbons also play a role in caste differentiation. The following lipid profiles were determined from specimens collected in the summer and early fall of northeastern Georgia in 1989. The dominant hydrocarbons recovered from the cuticles of workers were n-alkanes and methyl branched and dimethyl branched alkanes with a C27 or a
Hornet robberfly Hornet robberfly The hornet robberfly, Asilus crabroniformis, is a species of predatory insect of the Asilidae family. Reaching more than 25 mm in body length, it is one of the largest flies in the United Kingdom. and feeds on grasshoppers, dung beetles and other flies. Unlike an actual hornet, the robberfly only has one yellow patch on its abdomen and one pair of wings. The larvae are believed to feed on dung beetle larvae and other detritivores. "A. crabroniformis " can be found in woodland clearings and well-drained areas of heaths and downs covering Southern England and South & West