Solitary wasps using the Nurturing Nature Observation Nest box

Solitary bees and solitary wasps in the same nest box? Yes! In the same nest box! Besides being pollinators solitary wasps are fascinating to watch as they store the cavities with paralysed prey items, many of which may be garden pests. The prey items are used by the...
What birds killed 29 Bombus terrestris queens?

What birds killed 29 Bombus terrestris queens?

Was it a Great tit that killed 29 Bombus terrestris queens? Recently, while walking along a footpath through a small birch woodland, I saw and filmed a B. terrestris queen digging a hole into the peaty earth, something I have seen several times now and indicative of...
Ancistrocerus gazella solitary wasp larvae inside nesting cavity

Ancistrocerus gazella solitary wasp larvae inside nesting cavity

Ancistrocerus gazella, a new wasp to my summer bee solitary wasp nesting unit This mason wasp is also known as the European Tube Wasp. According to Wikipedia, the female collects as many as 20 caterpillars in each nest. Looking at the size of the cells, how on earth...