Two sets of pictures today. The second set arose from an opportunity to examine the nest of the Tree Wasp - Dolichovespula sylvestris - which was removed from a friend's tree.
Occasional rain showers.
Another new species for me: Eriothrix rufomaculata, one of the parasitic Tachinids. Whilst this is extremely common at the moment, it's host is still unknown.
A tiny (12mm.) solitary bee. The pollen appears to be collected in a tuft of hairs on the leg rather than in a pocket.
The following sequence shows the removal and dissection of a Tree Wasp nest that had already been chemically destroyed.
The nest in position, about 6m above ground level.
Close-up, showing the three main layers in the nest. There was a tiny top layer (top left) - presumably the initial layer made by the queen.
The three main layes of the nest. A rough count shows around 2500 cells.
The material used to construct the nest is wood pulp. The wasps clearly used a variety of different coloured woods.
And just as we were investigating further, it transpired that not all the inhabitants had been killed. Presumably they had hatched after the nest was destroyed. It's interesting to note the grey 'fur' on the thorax.
