The mystery:


November 12, 2022: splitting firewood often yields insects, mostly Carpenter ants, but also interesting fungi. This time a split open piece of wood had a lot of tunnels with dead syrphid flies, parts of syrphid flies and wasp cocoons. Pulling about 2 dozen 'clusters' out of the wood, found 2 cocoons already broken open one with a dead but still succulent larva, the 2nd with a larva that may or may not still be alive. Put it in a small vial. I can't quite put together the insects relationship and their location. Help wanted. Please. Thank you.

Photos:
In situ of cocoons, flies, fly parts
Some of the above out of the wood
Wasp cocoons
A wasp larva
Flies


In and amongst, found an undetermined larva in a loose woven cocoon, 4 small fly puparia and a harry legged mite.

Batch rearing-although I don't have high hopes, there are a few vials with 1 to multiple cocoons in them.