August 3, 2009:

Time from pupa to wasp appears to be 8 days. As of 7:00 PM, three of the little fellows (and I mean little) have hatched. They're barely 2mm long. They appear a dark metallic plum or burgundy color, and the wings appear clear, rounded and stubby (to me anyway). The head appears noticeably flat. Aside from their size, what surprises me most is their antenna. I never expected a wasp's antenna to be feathery.

So far, they don't seem to be doing anything but exploring being alive, however, they seem to limit that experience to the pupa cluster - on the top leaf of a small twig with a half dozen now dried leaves. I even took them out of their jar to photograph them, and they wouldn't stray further than the edge of the pupal group. Basically, they seem like well-behaved little children, peacefully getting to know each other.

So, now that I have a growing family, anyone know what I'm supposed to do with them? I eventually plan to let them go, but first I'd like to see if they get any bigger than a gnat. To do that, however, I'd probably have to feed them, and I have no idea what they eat. Input is welcome.

Two more photos follow, with no additional comments (yet).