Found this bit of wood suspended from a tree during a family walk recently. Ok, it's no guessing game this time.
I've seen the critters that take advantage of cavities like shown above (actually, there's more than one critter that will use these holes or what's inside them, but we'll have to save that for later). We have the critters living in our yard, and you probably do too!
I bought a structure sorta like this from the National Trust in England, and soon after it was being used. The neighbors expressed concern, but the kids were thrilled! And they had good reason to be, as you will learn when you figure out what the critter is!
7 comments:
Do we have a entomological relative (or several thousand of them as the case may be) of theirs in our backyard?
Hmmm.. It would help to know the scale. How big is it (or is that cheating?)?
-Paul
Yesireeeeeee John - you're right on the mark.
Well Paul, the holes in the tree stump are <1 cm in diameter.
We noted a metallic green parasitic wasp (family Chrysididae) that was waiting ever so patiently next to a hole in the structure we have at home. I couldn't help but collect it - it was so beautiful!
I once saw a metallic blue wasp that I looked up and it turned out to be a parasitic, solitary wasp that used other wasps as food for its eggs (it lays its eggs in their nests, I think). I can't remember the name of the species, though.
-Paul
Turns out the wasp i collected was waiting to parasitize solitary bees, also known as mason bees, in the genus Osmia. If you drill holes 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch wide in the end of a piece of wood, chances are you'll get some nesting in your garden.
Solitary bees are supposed to be some of the most effective pollinators, so it's a good thing if we can help them out!
There's a good chance Santa may bring Arrye a mason bee home for Christmas, hopefully then they'll stop nesting in our Adirondacks chairs. Big fan of bees, but they freak the guests out ;-)
Can you give me the web address for your eco-friendly Santa? Sounds like someone i'd like to know.
Yes, we've got a lot of educating to do. Insects are so underrated yet so overworked. How can we improve the general appreciation and understanding?
Is there a Bill Oddie for the Bug world?
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