Crime pays!

A fascinating drama developed over a two hour period on Cooper's Hill this afternoon (13th July). Firstly I watched this Ammophila sabulosa drag this caterpillar over seven metres to its burrow.

Once the debris that had hidden the hole had been cleared the caterpillar was dragged in:

Once an egg had been laid on the prey the process of filling in the borrow began:

Then a fight broke out, I suspect between two females, rather than an attempted mating:

This lasted a full minute:

and the winner, the original wasp, continued filling the burrow for another forty minutes:

Both the wasp and I then left the scene. I returned 11 minutes later to find another wasp digging open the burrow, and four minutes later exhume the caterpillar:

This was chewed around the head for four minutes (I'm not sure why) and inspected, presumably to find and remove the egg laid by the first wasp:

It was then re-buried in the same burrow:

And filled-in again, taking another forty minutes, and finished with a few twigs:

This was an intra-species crime and the DNA of the thief will prevail in this case. Was the thief the same wasp that had fought earlier and had bided its time for over forty minutes to take the spoils? Fascinating. You can see why the Ammophila genus has been much studied.

Pictures by Keith Balmer

Recent colonist visits Suburbia - Bombus hypnorum

Found lurking around the flowers near my pond at the bottom of the garden on Saturday 5th July. Wychwood Avenue, Luton. So I imagine this is a new insect tick now becoming available to anyone. This is the slightly larger of two bees seen, the smaller was around on occasion right through the day but not when it got wet on Sunday.

Hanging by a thread

This Episyron rufipes (probably) at Duck End NR on 1st July really struggled to drag this spider away from its web, pulling this way and that, until finally released. (A second wasp even briefly joined in at one point). The spider was then dragged through a nearby gorse, where the eight legs frequently caught on the spines, until the "right" location was reached, where it was left suspended while it went off to dig a burrow.


Pictures by Keith Balmer

Tool-using Wasp?

At Duck End Nature Reserve this afternoon (1st July) an Ammophila sabulosa found this caterpillar and dragged it back to her burrow. She then spent some time enlarging the burrow before dragging the caterpillar in.

During the enlargement process she briefly wielded this pebble seemingly like an hammer bashing the opening before discarding it and digging again with her feet and jaws...


Once the caterpillar was housed the hole was filled in, using her head as a vibrating ram - I could hear her buzzing as she packed the material hard. Small pebbles were finally arranged over the surface.

Pictures by Keith Balmer

Sharpenhoe Clappers Butterflies - 1st July

In today's heat the butterflies were really wizzing around, and the male Dark Green Fritillaries were in constant motion looking for females. The following were captured during a rare pause and reduced wind...


The Marbled Whites weren't very obliging either. These are the best I could grab...


Pictures by Keith Balmer

Ruby-tail wasp

In the blustery conditions it took quite a while to get this fair image of what I suspect to be a male Hedychrum niemelai (Status RDB3) in brambles on Cooper's Hill this afternoon (28th June 2008). It spent most of its time with its head buried in the flowers.
Picture by Keith Balmer

Blue-tailed Damselfly - MVCP

Blue-tailed Damselfly and Common Spotted Orchid, both by the MVCP boardwalk near the visitors centre, photos by Martin Green.

Another insect in the Office

Any ideas?

Early Hawk Moth

The first Elephant Hawk Moth we've seen in the greenhouse for several years. They used to come to the adjacent honeysuckle.

Believe it or not...?

There were a lot of male Crabro peltarius at Cooper's Hill today (17th June). The extraordinary curved plates on the front legs are apparently placed over the female's eyes during courtship, filtering light in such a way that she knows he is the correct species of Crabro. Surely there must be an easier way...? (Or is this an internet myth?)



Oxybelus uniglumis has an unusual way of carrying prey to her burrow - impaled on the sting! This keeps her legs free for digging open the burrow without letting go of the prey...


Pictures by Keith Balmer

Stanford Plantation - 13th June

I've kept an eye open for this distinctive species of bumblebee, Bombus hypnorum, since hearing it was spreading through the UK after arriving in 2001. I finally spotted one on brambles on the edge of the plantation this afternoon...


Pictures by Keith Balmer

Marston Thrift - 10th June

One of several Broad-bodied Chasers (Libellula depressa) catching flies on the main ride near the ponds:

This one is returning to it's perch after another sortie:

I just like the colours on this one:

A mason wasp in the car park:

Male Volucella pellucens hovering on the rides make a tempting photographic target, but are much harder to snap than they seem. Here's my best shot after about an hour of trying...!

Photos by Keith Balmer

Warden Great Wood - 9th June

Here is the "exploded" view of my favourite longhorn beetle Agapanthia villosoviridescens seen today in ride-side vegetation:

Picture by Keith Balmer

Common Blue Damselflies at Rookery Pit

Insects at Biggleswade Common

Small Heath

Black-tailed Skimmer

National Moth Night 2008 in Maulden Wood

Some photos of moths caught in Maulden Wood last night (7th June) on a National Moth Night event for he BNHS. May Highflyer and Map-winged Swift are scarce moths in the county so were particularly good records.

Alder Moth

Bordered White

May Highflyer

Map-winged Swift

Sloe Pug

Photos by Andy Banthorpe (Bordered White & Sloe Pug) & Melissa Banthorpe (The rest)

Insect on the computer

This amazing thing landed on my computer today. Any ideas?

Moths at Duck End NR 30/05/08

The following were caught at Duck End NR on 30th May when we operated two lights to demonstrate moth trapping to a local scout troop. All photos by Melissa Banthorpe

Green Silver-lines

Scorched Wing

Brindled White-spot - a scarce and local moth in the county

Rose or Sweet Briar..?

Some sort of Rose or Sweet Briar, near Marston Corner of Stewartby Lake, any help on identification would be appreciated, photo by Martin Green.

Dragons and damsels at Roxton

Scarce Chasers

Banded Demoiselles

Hairy Dragonfly

White-legged Damselfly

Broad-bodied Chaser at The Lodge

Common Blues - 20th May 2008

My first Common Blue butterflies of the year, basking in a late afternoon sunny interval, in Kempston Hardwick...
Photo by Keith Balmer