Under loud humming what seemed a beewulf with prey ploughed slowly through the air. It looked rather clumsy as she clearly struggled to remain in the air. After a short landing it became clear it was a female Sand tailed diggerwasp (Cerceris arenaria) ^[1] with a large weevil prey, a Vine weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus) ^[1]. The wasp as well as the weevil are permanent residents in the garden, usually a few specimens are present. The beetle can frequently be found on hazel.
It was nice to observe the effort she had to put in in order to stay flying with the beetle. After landing deep in a plant she seemed exhausted. While nervously glancing in my direction she kept distancing herself deeper into the plant. After ten to twenty minutes she took off and left the garden.

Unfortunately the photo’s didn’t turn out well but I still liked this one as it seems to depict the struggle of the female whilst transporting her prey..

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