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--_60831e34-fe69-4c4d-96c9-f4052ed92a10_ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I find these wasps to be fascinating in their habits. Many can be found low= in the vegetation where they float around never seeming to land. Presumabl= y they are looking for spiders=2C etc. In any case they remind me of Crane = Flies since they seem to require no effort to fly. I've tried without succe= ss to photograph them so I have never identified any of them. =20 Ammophila wasps (also thread-waisted wasps) prey only on caterpillars=2C I = believe=2C so they can be found on vegetation & photographed readily. Never= theless difficult to i.d. since there are an astonishing number of species = in N.A. =20 If you can tolerate mud daubers on your property=2C they would very interes= ting to watch due to (1) the structure they build. Each cell is composed of= "ribs' which meet in the centre perfectly & which has an artistic appearan= ce (think Buckminster Fuller & Expo 67). After creating a few of these cell= s=2C it then covers them up with mud. (2) Mud daubers are heavily parasitiz= ed by wasps=2C ants=2C bee flies & other flies. The most interesting one is= the Cuckoo Wasp. These wasps are metallic coloured=2C blue or green=2C wit= h a "shell of armour". The cuckoo wasp enters the mud-dauber's abode=2C is = discovered whereby it curls up into a ball. The mud dauber attempts to driv= e it out by stinging it but when unsuccessful=2C leaves it there. The cucko= o wasp waits for the mud dauber to return with spiders=2C lays its eggs on = them & departs. =20 Angus=20 = --_60831e34-fe69-4c4d-96c9-f4052ed92a10_ Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html> <head> <style><!-- .hmmessage P { margin:0px=3B padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: 12pt=3B font-family:Calibri } --></style></head> <body class=3D'hmmessage'><div dir=3D'ltr'>I find these wasps to be fascina= ting in their habits. Many can be found =3Blow in the vegetation where = they float around never seeming to land. Presumably they are looking for sp= iders=2C etc. In any case they remind me of Crane Flies since they seem to = require no effort to fly. I've tried without success to photograph them so = I have never identified any of them.<BR>  =3B<BR> Ammophila wasps (also thread-waisted wasps) prey only on caterpillars=2C I = believe=2C so they can be found on vegetation &=3B photographed readily.= Nevertheless difficult to i.d. since there are an astonishing number of sp= ecies in N.A.<BR>  =3B<BR> If you can tolerate mud daubers on your property=2C they would very interes= ting to watch due to (1) the structure they build. Each cell is composed of= "ribs' which meet in the centre perfectly &=3B which =3Bhas an arti= stic appearance (think =3BBuckminster Fuller &=3B Expo 67). After cr= eating a few =3Bof these cells=2C it then covers them =3Bup with mu= d. (2) Mud daubers are heavily parasitized by wasps=2C ants=2C bee flies &a= mp=3B other flies. The most interesting one is the Cuckoo Wasp. These wasps=  =3Bare metallic coloured=2C blue or green=2C with a "shell of armour".= The cuckoo wasp enters the mud-dauber's abode=2C is discovered whereby it = curls up into a ball. The =3Bmud dauber attempts to drive it out by sti= nging it =3Bbut =3Bwhen unsuccessful=2C leaves it there. The cuckoo= wasp waits for =3Bthe mud dauber to return with spiders=2C lays its eg= gs on them &=3B departs.<BR>  =3B<BR> Angus =3B<BR> </div></body> </html>= --_60831e34-fe69-4c4d-96c9-f4052ed92a10_--
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