Killer in my Hand - _TNY_3981
The female red-banded sand wasp (Ammophila sabulosa), also known as the red-belted sand wasp, starts of by building several (up to ten or so) burrows in the sand. She then seals them up provisionally and go out hunting for caterpillars.
The prey is then paralyzed and transported back to one of the burrows - on foot if it is to eavy to fly with - and dragged down into it where it is left with an egg before she seal it up.
When the egg hatches, the larvae have fresh food to eat and after pupating, the then adult wasp will dig its way out.
As for the prey here - it is difficult to tell the exact species as there are several similar species, but a more knowledgable friend made a guess that it might be a catepillar of the moth with the interesting name "silver Y" (Autographa gamma), a name it has gotten from the small white/silver y on the wings.
Carl Linnaeus thought the Y was more a "γ" (the greek character gamma) instead so both the scientific name and the Swedish one (Linnaeus was a Swede) refer to it that way instead.
I found this one and here prey while having a coffee by the old miller's cottage at Åva-Stensjödal in Tyresta National Park, just south of Stockholm, Sweden and managed fome shots of her on the ground as she didn't fly very well with such a heavy load. At one point she flew off so I picked up the paralyzed caterpillar hand held it in the palm of my hand and she almost immediately returned and grabbed her prize again (at which point I took this shot).
Part 1 with them on the ground here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/51577600433/
Killer in my Hand - _TNY_3981
The female red-banded sand wasp (Ammophila sabulosa), also known as the red-belted sand wasp, starts of by building several (up to ten or so) burrows in the sand. She then seals them up provisionally and go out hunting for caterpillars.
The prey is then paralyzed and transported back to one of the burrows - on foot if it is to eavy to fly with - and dragged down into it where it is left with an egg before she seal it up.
When the egg hatches, the larvae have fresh food to eat and after pupating, the then adult wasp will dig its way out.
As for the prey here - it is difficult to tell the exact species as there are several similar species, but a more knowledgable friend made a guess that it might be a catepillar of the moth with the interesting name "silver Y" (Autographa gamma), a name it has gotten from the small white/silver y on the wings.
Carl Linnaeus thought the Y was more a "γ" (the greek character gamma) instead so both the scientific name and the Swedish one (Linnaeus was a Swede) refer to it that way instead.
I found this one and here prey while having a coffee by the old miller's cottage at Åva-Stensjödal in Tyresta National Park, just south of Stockholm, Sweden and managed fome shots of her on the ground as she didn't fly very well with such a heavy load. At one point she flew off so I picked up the paralyzed caterpillar hand held it in the palm of my hand and she almost immediately returned and grabbed her prize again (at which point I took this shot).
Part 1 with them on the ground here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/51577600433/