As always, the tunnels in my insect hotel's observation panel got used by grass-carry wasps (genus Isodontia). They provision their nests with tree crickets. #InsectHotel #wasps #isodontia #insects
Mexican grass-carrying wasp (Isodontia mexicana) dragging a paralyzed tree cricket into its nest. The species is now in Europe, too, showing up first in France in the early 1960s. #wasps #insects #entomology #nature #BeeHotel #InsectHotel #isodontia #sphecidae #orthoptera
Managed to get a photograph of the parent today. Given the all-black color and pale hair I think this is a Mexican grass-carrying wasp (Isodontia mexicana). #wasps #insects #entomology #nature #BeeHotel #InsectHotel #isodontia #sphecidae
UPDATE: Here's the wasp larva after just three (3!) days eating tree crickets. What a piglet. #wasps #insects #entomology #nature #BeeHotel #InsectHotel #isodontia #sphecidae
Exciting news: a grass-carrying wasp (Isodontia sp.) has moved into the observation panel at my insect hotel. The shiny yellow object on the right is the wasp egg. The tree crickets are all alive but paralyzed. #wasps #insects #entomology #TreeCricket #nature #BeeHotel #InsectHotel #isodontia #sphecidae
In yard news from this summer, grass-carrying wasps (Isodontia sp.) moved into two tunnels in the observation wing of my bee and wasp hotel. On the left-hand side (near entrances) you can see the tree crickets stacked up like cordwood, food for the developing wasp larvae. Cocoons of older individuals are visible on the right, at the rear of the nests. I'm going to to transfer the contents to containers and monitor what emerges next year. Grass-carrying wasps are expected but I'm also interested in their parasites. #BeeHotel #InsectHotel #Isodontia #wasps #entomology #Hymenoptera