Thread-waisted wasp drama! by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Thread-waisted wasp drama! by Mark Sturtevant, on FlickrAfter a time I saw she had… other watchers (to the right). This was bad news!
The watching Tachinid flies by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
The watching Tachinid flies by Mark Sturtevant, on FlickrThese are Tachinid flies. Parasitic. More specifically, these will be kleptoparasites, which means that they intend to lay eggs on her paralyzed prey. Her offspring are not yet born, but they are already doomed. And all her labors will be for nothing.
I watched in fascination. After she cleared out the entrance, she then wandered off. But soon she returned with a paralyzed caterpillar. This must have been set down just a few feet away while she was opening up her burrow, and so I understood that her burrow and deeper chambers had already been prepared. She was only unplugging the entrance earlier. She set it down her prize at the entrance, and disappeared inside for what I suppose were final inspections.
The wasp has left prey at the entrance by Mark Sturtevant, on FlickrImmediately one of the flies made its move. It landed on the caterpillar and inserted an egg into it.
One of the flies lays an egg! by Mark Sturtevant, on FlickrWhen she emerged, the flies soon backed away. She moved the caterpillar inside, and after a time re-emerged to then carefully conceal the entrance before leaving. The flies continued their watch.
With prey in the burrow, the wasp leaves by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
The flies continue to watch by Mark Sturtevant, on FlickrSolitary wasps of this sort will make a burrow that branch off into several individual chambers, each with a prey item and one egg. The remaining flies likely have good reason to lurk in the area.
I do regret not recording this scene as a movie with the camera, as that would have ensured that more details were captured. But the microphone would have also recorded a rather continuous stream of profanity from a grown man who was very upset at some of the normal drama that happens every day in the Magic Field.
