Wasp Activity

[Cheryl]

Do wasps eat ladybirds? Not sure what's going on here?

[aeshna5]

Wasps are predatory insects, so no doubt he is hoping for a Harlequin dinner. Not sure how palatable this will be as ladybirds do contain some unpleasant chemicals which are supposed to deter would-be predators. Do you know what the outcome of this encounter was?

[eucera]

Hmmm. Unusual to say the least.

What is particularly interesting is that this is a male wasp (clearly a Dolichovespula and probably D. sylvestris I suspect) and not a worker (check antennal lengths). Therefore it is unlkely to have any interest in tucking in to the ladybird. Males only consume nectar and take no part in nest provisioning.

I wonder if the wasp and the ladybird might be both attracted to some aphid secretions on the leaf. Willow leaves can often have droplets on themat this time of year, and I THINK I might have spotted another elsewhere on the leaf.

[Cheryl]

It was a blackthorn bush - I was inspecting the sloes at the time - not quite ready

I didn't see the outcome but it was a particuly popular leaf as I also got a shot of a large fly and a hover fly

Was it a Harlequin?

[eucera]

If lots of things are coming to the leaf, that would suggest aphid secretions to me