Wasp attacking a Crane Fly?
Hi all,
As a new member/poster I thought I'd ask a quick question about something I saw a couple of days ago.
I watched a wasp take hold and dismember a large crane fly - systematically taking the legs off, clamping the head in its mandables, chewing it up and then flying off with the body (rather erratically as the fly was so big)... I'm not an expert on wasp behaviour so I wondered is this normal?
I have never seen anything like it it in this country...?
Great site by the way.
Groups:
Wasp attack
Last year about this time whilst waiting for a train at Newtown I saw several instances of wasps catching flies, taking them down to the ground, removing wings and maybe other bits, then struggling to fly away clasping what was left.
Keith
tasty
The wasps are taking the prey back to the nest as food for the brood. They are interested in the prime cut of flight muscles. The rest is mere packaging and best removed
Stuart
Chairman BWARS
www.bwars.com
And Butterflies
Two years ago I saw a white butterfly (I didn't id. it - silly me) spiralling down from roof height to finish up on our patio. Wondering what was happening, I peered at it and was quite surprised to see that a wasp had attacked it and still held onto it. The wasp proceeded to bite off the butterfly's wings following which it flew off with the body, head included, I think.
And moths!
I have seen several day-flying moths be taken this way.
If you spend some time looking at a big umbellifer flower-head on a sunny day (the classic arthropod fast-food joint!), it is interesting to watch the other insects response whenever a wasp appears. They become very nervous! Interestingly, most seem to be able to distinguish between wasps and their mimics, such as hoverflies. The latter elicit no such panic-y responses.
Collecting the best bits
I read an article which said they collect the best bits of meat to take to the larvae. The adult has a very thin waste so cannot eat solids, so she feeds them to the larvae who secrete sugar for the adults to consume for energy. In the autumn there are fewer larvae so the adults have to hunt for sugar sources themseles, which is why they pester us & rotting fruit about this time of year.
They learn fast where the best sources are & will often return. Moth-traps are prime hunting grounds for wasps & hornets
A few years ago I watched a
A few years ago I watched a wasp extract a leather jacket from my lawn. It pulled it to the surface, then cut it into carryable size pieces. It flew off with the first piece, then twice returned unerringly to the spot to collect the other pieces. Gruesome but fascinating!