Fly Hunter, Pt. 3 - _TNY_8478
The field digger wasp (Mellinus arvensis) is a solitary wasp who catches flies and bury them in egg chambers dug in sand/soil. In fact, the Dutch name for it, "gewone vliegendoder" literally means "common fly killer". I say solitary in that each female digs her own nest, but they still live in colonies and can still dig very close to others (like 10 cm) which was the case in my mother-in-law's garden where there suddenly were a whole bunch of holes dug in the sandy ground.
I staked the place out and quickly discovered that these were the culprits. I got a whole series of shots of this little lady gradually emerging from her burrow.
Part 1 is a focus-stacked closeup here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/54254349711/
Part 2 is the same female as here, but exiting her burrow: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/54307303700/
Fly Hunter, Pt. 3 - _TNY_8478
The field digger wasp (Mellinus arvensis) is a solitary wasp who catches flies and bury them in egg chambers dug in sand/soil. In fact, the Dutch name for it, "gewone vliegendoder" literally means "common fly killer". I say solitary in that each female digs her own nest, but they still live in colonies and can still dig very close to others (like 10 cm) which was the case in my mother-in-law's garden where there suddenly were a whole bunch of holes dug in the sandy ground.
I staked the place out and quickly discovered that these were the culprits. I got a whole series of shots of this little lady gradually emerging from her burrow.
Part 1 is a focus-stacked closeup here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/54254349711/
Part 2 is the same female as here, but exiting her burrow: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/54307303700/