Wasp (which species?) Stealing Prey!

tigger · #1 (**permalink**) 20-09-2009, 10:53 AM

Hi. I heard a loud buzzing in the garden, looked down to see this wasp "caught" in a spiders web. Thing was I soon realised it wasn't caught at all, it was stealing the spiders wrapped up prey from the middle of the web. In fact it was cutting off the head of the bee that has been caught in the web, and once it had cut off the head it flew up into our apple tree to eat it (see last pic)

Do you think this is a Common Wasp? (there is a pic of the head, straight on, which I'm hoping will help with ID) or something else?

I've never seen a wasp do this before... Thanks. Jane

Jason Green · #2 (**permalink**) 20-09-2009, 10:56 AM

Good morning Jane

I think it's the Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris. Another interesting observation! I haven't seen this myself. Thanks for sharing!

Take care,

Jason

tigger · #3 (**permalink**) 20-09-2009, 11:05 AM

Morning Jason!

I wasn't sure if it was a V. vulgaris - as I hadn't heard of this behaviour before. After it had eaten the head it came back for more! Easy pickings I guess - although I'd have thought there is always the risk that the spider is going to take offence and you will become dinner as well...

Yesterday was a day for strange observations. I went out looking for Colletes hederae nests (Ivy bee) and ended up with wasps instead...

JRsbugs · #4 (**permalink**) 20-09-2009, 11:39 AM

Hi Jane,

It's Vespula germanica. They have the two dots either side of the black middle section on the face, which is also sometimes closed to make a third dot.

Janet

tigger · #5 (**permalink**) 20-09-2009, 11:48 AM

I'd compared my wasp with other V. vulgaris - and I didn't think the markings looked quite the same, but put that down to natural variations.

Thanks Janet. Have you ever seen this behaviour before?

JRsbugs · #6 (**permalink**) 20-09-2009, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tigger

I'd compared my wasp with other V. vulgaris - and I didn't think the markings looked quite the same, but put that down to natural variations.

Thanks Janet. Have you ever seen this behaviour before?

I haven't seen one stealing from a spider, Panorpa are supposed to do that so it's probably suffering from an identity crisis.

I got a V. vulgaris last year chopping off the tail of a fly

, it left that part behind!

tigger · #7 (**permalink**) 20-09-2009, 12:50 PM

So it's been watching too many scorpionflies eh! Picking up tips!

I've just been watching what I presume is the same wasp doing the same thing to the flies caught in exactly the same spiders web. The poor old spider put up a bit of a fight but soon gave up! It must be getting pretty annoyed that the wasp is taking advantage of all it's hard work and stealing it's dinner. It will be interesting to see if it gives up on the web and starts one elsewhere.