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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Ruby-tailed Wasp (1 Viewer)

Fozzybear

Ich bin ein Vogelbeobachter
My brother looked up some info on these after we saw one near Wiveton in north Norfolk (it was sitting on his shoulder as we were walking north to Blakeney!). It 'looks' as though they are endangered but are there common species of this too? Unfortunately we didn't manage to get a photo so won't be able to ID it if there are a number of similar types... but I understand microscopic analysis is sometimes needed anyway!
 
It must be a good year for them, I saw two in Northants at Summerleys NR yesterday.

I don't know the status but someone I know was extremely jealous when I entered a photo of this species in the local bird club competition in January from one I saw in France. I hadn't seen him since and I was about to phone him when he came strolling down the path with his wife!

I took him back to the fence post where I saw the first one and stood aside to let him take piccies of it.

I hope they came out better than mine.
 

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That's the chap. Wish I'd thought to do the same, am rather kicking myself for not snapping it... with a camera that is!
 
About 14 or so species of Chrysis in the UK. Some more common than others. When most people think of ruby tails, they think of Chrysis ignita, but it is in fact a species complex of about 4 or so species. There's only a handful of people who can identify them to species level in the UK, and yes they difinitely need to be under a microscope! They are of course cleptoparasites, or cuckoo wasps if you like. In other words they lay their eggs in other wasps nests, usually Eumenids - mason wasps.
 
In solitary bee/wasp terms, cleptoparasites are species whose females place their eggs onto the prey/food provisions stored in the nest of another species. After hatching out the larvae usually destroys the hosts egg/larvae, and then consumes the provisions.
 
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