Buprestid Bonanza

I visited the Cerceris fumipennis nesting site at the Cowling Arboretum from noon to 1pm. Clear, sunny, hot and humid---ideal wasp watching conditions (ideal for the wasps not the watcher!). I counted twenty two nests. I found three abandoned beetles, beetles dropped and left outside the nests by the wasps. In addition to the abandoned beetles, I was able to collect four beetles by gently tapping the returning wasps with my hand. Seven beetles total, a Buprestid bonanza compared to the single beetle collected during my previous visit.

Two of the beetles, one abandoned (Buprestis sp.) and one captured (Dicerca sp.), were very large. If I hadn't seen the wasp flying with the one beetle, I wouldn't have believed it possible. This feat raises further question of how the wasps capture these giant, well-armored beetles to begin with.

A lot of other wasp and bee activity occurred all around me, which I had to neglect while keeping my vigil for returning Cerceris wasps. I did manage to photograph an incoming Ant Queen Kidnapping Wasp, though I wasn't quick enough to get a photo of the kidnapped ant queen that the wasp left momentarily at the entrance of her nest. By the time I looked at it and recognized what I was seeing, the wasp grabbed it and whisked it into her burrow, a large reddish ant with wings, maybe Lassius sp.?

Publicado el julio 5, 2017 04:26 MAÑANA por scottking scottking

Observaciones

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

scottking

Fecha

Julio 4, 2017 a las 10:59 MAÑANA CDT

Descripción

Eastern Comma
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

scottking

Fecha

Julio 4, 2017 a las 10:15 MAÑANA CDT

Descripción

Mason Wasp
front yard bee block
Northfield, Minnesota

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

scottking

Fecha

Julio 4, 2017 a las 12:16 TARDE CDT

Descripción

Sphinx Moth, caterpillar
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

scottking

Fecha

Julio 4, 2017 a las 12:15 TARDE CDT

Descripción

Wasp Mantidflies
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

scottking

Fecha

Julio 4, 2017 a las 11:54 MAÑANA CDT

Descripción

Ant Queen Kidnapping Wasp
with ant
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

scottking

Fecha

Julio 4, 2017 a las 11:25 MAÑANA CDT

Descripción

Jewel Beetle (No. 1)
found abandoned at Cerceris fumipennis nest entrance
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota
TL=16mm

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

scottking

Fecha

Julio 4, 2017 a las 01:00 TARDE CDT

Descripción

Jewel Beetle (No. 6)
captured from Cerceris fumipennis
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

scottking

Fecha

Julio 4, 2017 a las 12:54 TARDE CDT

Descripción

Jewel Beetle (No. 5)
captured from Cerceris fumipennis
Cowling Arboretum
Northfield, Minnesota

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