Ground Nesting Wasp - Microbembex - Western shore of Whidbey Island to the north of Useless Bay at the base of a bluff, Island County, Washington, USA July 24, 2006 Size: 15-23 mm long
A ground nesting wasp found digging into sandy soil (thicker than sand, sandier than dirt). The creature uses its forelegs to dig little holes in the ground. It appears to not be an agressive species as I shot this in 95 deg. F temperatures with my person and camera right in the middle of the nesting area with them simply ignoring me.
I suspect at least one or more species of bee was also seen nesting in the same area from my observations.
My apologies, the above is wrong. This was found along the base of a bluff in several miles south of where I initially implied. Albeit, this is a very minor shift in locality (atop a bluff to the base of one a few miles south).
Contributed by Sean DeMerchant on 26 July, 2006 - 4:58pm Last updated 30 July, 2006 - 8:08pm |