| One of the
'Potter Wasps', Symmorphus are tube-nesting
wasps, using existing cavities such as hollow plant
stems, in which the females creates several cells,
divided by clay. Symmorphus bifasciatus preys on
the larvae of the Leaf Beetle Phyllodecta
vulgatissima, taking these back to the nest, filling
the cells with a supply of larvae, before laying a single
egg in each cell. Its Nottinghamshire status is unknown,
but there are probably very few recent county records.
This one was found and photographed at Dyscarr Wood, by
regular contributor Pauline Bradford, who kindly sent us
these photographs. |
