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Posts Tagged: wasp
Who Wants a Wasp Waist?
"Around 250 million years ago, at the start of the Triassic period, a species of insect evolved to have a narrow waist, called a petiole. This adaptation allowed greater flexibility and maneuverability of the ovipositor, the tubular structure on...
The mud dauber wasp, Sceliphron caementarium, sporting its "wasp waist." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Wasp Love: Pollinators, Artists and Biocontrol Experts
What a delight to see that European paper wasp nest tucked beneath the overhang of a fence in a Vacaville, Calif. neighborhood. My first thought was "Wow! Haven't seen a Polistes dominula nest for years!" (The last one I saw was...
An European paper wasp (Polistes dominula) nest in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A European paper wasp, Polistes dominula, peers between the petals of a yellow rose. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Pollinia: Like Having Gum on Your Shoes
If you've ever stepped in sticky gum, it's similar to what happens when an insect steps into milkweed pollinia. Take the wasps visiting the tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) on Thursday morning, July 16 in the UC Davis Arboretum and...
This wasp, a species of Podalonia, flies off a tropical milkweed at the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden with a load of pollinia, a packet of sticky golden pollen grains. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Podalonia wasp nectars on tropical milkweed at the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A wasp foraging upside down on tropical milkweed at the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Off to another tropical milkweed--and off packing pollinia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Note the gold, wishboned-shaped pollinia on the honey bee's feet as she heads for more showy milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Do You Know Where Your Pollinators Are?
It's National Pollinator Week. Do you know where your pollinators are? If you're thinking bees, butterflies, beetles, birds (hummingbirds) and bats, you're correct. But what about European paper wasps (Polistes dominula)? They're pollinators, too, says...
European paper wasps protecting the nest they're building on the lip of a recycling bin near the Mann lab, UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
European paper wasp chowing down on food on the lip of a recycling bin near the Mann lab, UC Davis campus. Another wasp delivered it to the guard. Maybe it's the remains of a caterpillar? (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling...There Must Be a Green Insect Nearby
When Irish eyes are smiling, it could be... St. Patrick's Day is approaching or A green insect is nearby If you've ever seen the female metallic green sweat bee, Agapostemon texanus, or the sand wasp, Bembix americana, you can't help but...
The female metallic green sweat bee, Agapostemon texanus, nectaring on a purple coneflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The male metallic green sweat bee, Agapostemon texanus, is partly green; its head and thorax are green, but not its abdomen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A sand wasp, Bembix americana, foraging on a seaside daisy (Erigeron glaucus) at Bodega Bay. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
