Wasp nest!

Ectemnius cephalotes♀︎

Picea abies (Garden wood - Spruce)

Last update: 21 July 2021


Uncommon

LOCATION: Krimpen aan den IJssel, garden

OBSERVATION:
2021-VII-18


During work in the garden I moved a stack of old garden wood planks to straighten the tiles below them. In the middle of the stack a corridor had been gnawed in one of the planks.
After relocating the wood and ready to start with the tiles a wasp approached and landed with a prey. She landed on one of the tiles which had supported the wood stack and started searching. She was clearly looking for something, assumedly a nest, and has been walking to a fro for a time.

When she finally rested in one of the plants I could photograph her and the prey. A female Ectemnius cephalotes with a fly.

Ectemnius cephalotes ♀︎
Ectemnius cephalotes ♀︎

After a while she disappeared only to appear a short while later without a prey. So I dug out the plank with the nest and made it accessible should it be her nest. Also I check the other planks for nests and found another that had a wasp in it. She was observing me retreated in the entrance.

The other wasp has inspected the area around the other hole for a long time and even went into the nest but it did not seem to be hers.

Ectemnius cephalotes ♀︎

I hope to be able to make some more observations around the planks.


References

1 Nederlands Soortenregister

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