Wasp! A welcome guest

[flhiker]

, I'm not one that fears wasp's but I do know many that are. Specially those that are allergic. Well after noticing the leave's on one of my tomato plants have be eaten, I seen these wasp taking care of the disgusting culprit. Goodbye you nasty green caterpillar. I now look at wasp's in a different light.

[isurus79]

I love seeing evil pests getting eaten by the good guys!

Dave,
I was gonna post the following pics in another thread, but they just go perfectly with this theme you've started! I'm not trying to hijack your thread, but I can take down this pics if you want.





Every now and then, the aphids reach such epidemic proportions that they end up killing off most of a mesquite tree I use as a shadehouse for my orchids. In the previous pics you can see little yellow/orange dots which are aphids. Now comes for the good part! The juvenile (1st pic) and adult (2nd pic) ladybugs that chow on the aphids! Their population is now exploding too.

[Junebug]

Very Cool.

There are a lot of small medium to light brown wasps that hang around my chids and pitcher plant. They're about 3/4 of an inch long and have a rather delicate appearance. They've had many opportunities but have never stung me. I've often wondered if they're parasitic.

[flhiker]

Originally Posted by isurus79

I love seeing evil pests getting eaten by the good guys!

Dave,
I was gonna post the following pics in another thread, but they just go perfectly with this theme you've started! I'm not trying to hijack your thread, but I can take down this pics if you want.





Every now and then, the aphids reach such epidemic proportions that they end up killing off most of a mesquite tree I use as a shadehouse for my orchids. In the previous pics you can see little yellow/orange dots which are aphids. Now comes for the good part! The juvenile (1st pic) and adult (2nd pic) ladybugs that chow on the aphids! Their population is now exploding too.

Nice photos. I treat ladybugs like royalty!

[flhiker]

Originally Posted by Junebug

Very Cool.

There are a lot of small medium to light brown wasps that hang around my chids and pitcher plant. They're about 3/4 of an inch long and have a rather delicate appearance. They've had many opportunities but have never stung me. I've often wondered if they're parasitic.

What most people don't realize is they are not out to sting you, except when there nest is disturbed or threaten and of course when you try to swat them, otherwise they won't bother you.

[Hedge]

Despite being stung by our common garden wasp a couple of times in my life I still admire the way they hoover up caterpillars. Only time I fell out with them was when they made a nest in my roof directly above my bedroom and I could hear them buzzing as I lay in bed - that had to go, I'm afraid

[Paul]

The tomato plant cats like tobacco hornworms actually pupate into some rather impressively large moths. They belong to the family of sphinx moths which includes the "hummingbird" moths (so called because when feeding they often hover just as hummingbirds do).

Besides falling prey to large wasps such as the one you photographed, Dave, they are frequently parasitized by wasps. Generally the damage done to the cat isn't obvious until near the end of its last instar before it pupates. At that time the parasitic wasp larvae emerge from the catt' body and form tiny cocoons attached to the cat's body.

[cb977]

Ummm...I'm one of those people who can make a total spectacle of myself around a bug, whether it's crawling or flying

Since moving to Florida, I've gotten just a LITTLE better about it but I do leave the wasps and bees alone when they're in the screenroom around the chids. It takes a LOT of self-control on my part but I do it

Ladybugs are another story...we carry them into the orchid room and let them do whatever they want to