Reversing up
Video taken through the raynox, hence the fish-eye view. I thought the wasps were strange with a very squished abdomen. Then I noticed one reversing up to the mass. I wondered briefly if they actually had some kind of pressurised jab system when I saw this backing up. I repeated the video lots to see if there was anything projecting from the wasp, but it just seems to tread on the head of the larvae, and then head up the branch again. Maybe they are trying to desensitise the larvae to their presence, or milk them of the exudate before the females arrive? Maybe they just like bugging them.
Reversing up
Video taken through the raynox, hence the fish-eye view. I thought the wasps were strange with a very squished abdomen. Then I noticed one reversing up to the mass. I wondered briefly if they actually had some kind of pressurised jab system when I saw this backing up. I repeated the video lots to see if there was anything projecting from the wasp, but it just seems to tread on the head of the larvae, and then head up the branch again. Maybe they are trying to desensitise the larvae to their presence, or milk them of the exudate before the females arrive? Maybe they just like bugging them.