Squatters

I am absolutely rubbish at rearing insects but I'm trying to be a good Hymenopterist by rearing parasitoids out from their hosts.  In theory, this should make my life easier by making the emerging insects easier to identify - but things often don't go to plan.  I collected a Bedeguar Gall (Robin's Pincushion), caused by the wasp Diplolepis rosae, on 24.07.2026.  Miraculously, it survived my tender care (only slightly moldy) until on 05.09.2026 a wasp emerged.  But it wasn't Diplolepis rosae, a brownish wasp, but instead a bright metallic green wasp with a long ovipositor.  The obvious candidate was Torymus bedeguaris, but there are 19 confirmed inquilines (from the Latin inquilinus, "tenant" or "lodger"), of Diplolepis rosae, and this squatter had an ovipositor only slightly longer than its body (that of Torymus bedeguaris is typically twice as long as the body).  Torymus species are very difficult to identify, but with some help I was able to confirm that this is Torymus rubi.  This species is a polyphagous parasitoid of Dasineura acrophila; Diastrophus rubi; Diplolepis mayri, nervosa, rosae, spinosissimae; Lasioptera rubi; Liposthenes glechomae; Stereonychus fraxini, on host plants including Fraxinus, Pteridium aquilinum (Bracken), Rubus, and Rosa. 

There's a lot going on inside Robin's Pincushions and I'm hanging on to this one for now to see if anything else emerges. 

Askew, R.R., Plantard, O., Gomez, J.F., Nieves, M.H., & Nieves-Aldrey, J.L. (2006) Catalogue of parasitoids and inquilines in galls of Aylacini, Diplolepidini and Pediaspidini (Hym., Cynipidae) in the West Palaearctic. Zootaxa, 1301(1), 1-60.

Graham MWR de Vere & Gijswijt MJ (1998) Revision of the european species of Torymus Dalman (s.lat.) (Hymenoptera: Torymidae). Zoologische Verhandelingen, Leiden 317: 1-202.

Leicestershire Entomological Society Newsletter 37, September 2007: https://www.naturespot.org/sites/default/files/downloads/Newsletter037.pdf

 

What we're missing

Netelia cristata

Over the past few years I've tried (and pretty much failed) to convince colleagues that it is a scientific and ethical imperative to at least try to analyze the bycatch from insect trapping, including but not limited to light traps. Blinded by the light (sorry, moths), I can't seem to convince people to make the effort. One notable exception is my colleague Graham who regularly sends me samples from his amazingly productive garden moth trap. Working together we have clocked up an ever growing list of new species for VC55, including many solitary wasps.

Parasitoid wasps, usually overlooked, are crucial for understanding ecosystems and environmental change. Capitalising on other projects such as the bycatch from moth trapping can provide valuable insights into these overlooked taxa at relatively low additional cost or effort. A new article describes the use of an existing citizen science project, the National Moth Recording Scheme, to monitor nocturnal parasitoid wasps in the UK. The researchers collaborated with moth-trappers to collect "bycatch" from light traps, focusing on Ichneumonidae, a family of parasitoid wasps. Over five months in 2024, they collected 6,779 specimens, representing over 184 taxa. The project successfully collected a majority of previously recorded UK nocturnal Ichneumons within the five month period (e.g. 82% of Netelia, 91% of Ophion) and provided new species records for 67 of the 71 sampled species in 82 of 91 sampled vice-counties, including some rare species.
Cunningham-Eurich, I., Aucock, L., Walters-Hutton, B., Sumner, S. & Broad, G.R. (2026) Moth traps shine a light on nocturnal parasitoid wasps: Snapshot assessment of UK diversity and distributions. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 1–23. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.70135

Plenty of research shows the effectiveness of UV LED trapping for a wide range of insect taxa, so as soon as it stops raining I'm aiming to use my newly acquired LED strings to figure out what's flying about out there in the dark.  

See also: Dietenberger, M., Jechow, A., Sann, M., & Hölker, F. (2025) Shedding light on dark taxa: exploring a cryptic diversity of parasitoid wasps affected by artificial light at night. Scientific reports, 15(1), 6237. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-88111-3

Carnage in a flower pot

I spotted some strange Hymenopteran goings on on the side of a flower pot on my patio. On investigating, I found this female Common Black Spider Wasp, Anoplius nigerrimus, trying to fly with a large female Common Fox Spider, Alopecosa pulverulenta, considerably heavier than herself up under the rim of the pot. 

The excellent BWARS account for this species makes clear that they aren't too fussy about nesting spots. I interrupted her for a quick portrait, then put her back by the pot with the babyfood (which was done for, having already been paralysed).