Tag Archives: Bees and Wasps

The Numbers Game #51

Smoke hangs in the sky off the Kohala Coast Hawaii — Smoke from a brush fire colors the sky over the North Kohala coast

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 172. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A Gold dust day gecko licks its eye — Got to keep those eyes clean!

A woman sitting on a red car in Hawaii — Got to keep those eyes clean!

A Yellow-fronted Canary perched on a twig in Hawaii — A Yellow-fronted Canary keeps watch.

An Emerald Cockroach Wasp in Hawaii — A Yellow-fronted Canary keeps watch.

The Numbers Game #49

Kiawe trees and Muana Kea telescopes silhouetted against an early morning sky — A view of telescopes on Mauna Kea from Mahukona.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 170. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A lion statue with a air of sunglasses — A cool lion at The Hilton.

A firefighting helicopter drops water on a brush fire in Hawaii — A cool lion at The Hilton.

A Sonoran Carpenter Bee clambers through agave attenuata flowers — A Sonoran Carpenter Bee on an Agave Attenuata.

A couple performs on the beach at sunset in Hawaii — A Sonoran Carpenter Bee on an Agave Attenuata.

The Numbers Game #48

The lava cone and lake at Kilauea Volcano in late 2021 — Activity at Kilauea Volcano in November of 2021.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 169. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A grasshopper blocks the way — A bold grasshopper.

A Leafcutter bee on a zinnia violacea flower — A bold grasshopper.

A Red-masked parakeet at Kohanaiki Beach Park. — A Red-masked Parakeet.

Early morning lights at the port of Kawaihae, Hawaii — A Red-masked Parakeet.

The Numbers Game #47

A smokey sky colors the waters of Kawaihae small boat harbor — Late afternoon sun over Kawaihae Small Boat Harbor with smoke in the air.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 168. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A hibiscus tiliaceus at the Golden Ponds of Keawaiki on The Big Island of Hawaii — Hibiscus tiliaceus flowers.

The Numbers Game #46

A curtained bed at Kohanaiki Beach Club, Hawaii — One of the amenities at Kohanaiki Beach Club.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 167. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

The front of Chaba's Joy Cafe in Kapaau, Hawaii — Chaba’s Joy Cafe in Kapaau,

A Carolina green anole shedding in Hawaii — Chaba’s Joy Cafe in Kapaau,

Skydivers over Upolu, Hawaii — Tandem skydivers earthbound.

A bee scrambles over a clover flower — Tandem skydivers earthbound.

Blue-eyed Ensign Wasp

I see these wasps quite often, flitting about, with the little black abdominal part on the stalk vibrating noticeably. However, it wasn’t until recently that I identified them.

This is a Blue-eyed Ensign Wasp (Evania appendigaster) and it’s considered a beneficial insect because it’s a parasitoid, which lays it’s eggs in the eggs of cockroaches. The wasp’s offspring feed off the cockroach eggs, which results in a few less cockroaches in the neighborhood.

Alas, we do not appear to be running out of cockroaches, or seem likely to do so in the immediate future.

Seriously subdued spider in seven shocking scenes

A Yellow-legged mud-dauber Wasp stuffs a paralysed spider into a hole as future food for its offspring.

At work recently, I was alerted to the presence of an odd wasp, with a ‘sac’ under its body, trying to get into a small hole in the window frame. I grabbed my camera, opened the window, and took photos.

It quickly became clear that the ‘sac’ was a spider, and not a tiny one either. What was less clear was whether the wasp would succeed in its quest. I assume the hole is a drainage outlet, but what the wasp was up to was less clear. A little research cleared that up.

The wasp is a Yellow-legged Mud-dauber Wasp (Sceliphron caementarium). Not sure what kind of spider it is, but I do know its days are numbered. Sadly for the spider, it will not be a swift end. According to Wikipedia, “After building a cell of the nest, the female wasp captures several spiders. The captured prey are stung and paralyzed before being placed in the nest (usually 6-15 per cell), and then a single egg is deposited on the prey within each cell. The wasp then seals the cell with a thick mud plug. After finishing a series of cells, she leaves and does not return.” Notice that the spider is paralyzed, not dead. Got to have fresh food for the kids!

Posted for Becky’s Squares: Seven. See more responses here.