Velvet Ant (Dolichomutilla sycorax)

Velvet Ant (Dolichomutilla sycorax) family Mutillidae Hymenoptera (Wasps)

When I bought my first little point and shoot camera way back in 2008 in order to take pictures of insects, little did I know that this was going to become the foremost thing of importance in my life. I did not for one minute think that bugs of any kind could be interesting enough to capture my heart. Now, I live and breath BUGS!! If you have to love something, why not insects?? :)

There are a few hundred species of Velvet ants (Mutillidae) in South Africa of which I have sofar only managed to photograph 2.

This is Dolichomutilla sycorax and mostly lays its eggs on and paratizes wasp larvae. It bites its way into a cell and lays an egg on the pupa inside, resealing the nest when leaving.

For pictures of the second species and more information on Velvet Ants, please follow this link.

I could probably have chosen something easier to photograph though and not something that bites, flies, crawls, jumps etc and is so difficult to keep still to get good photographs.

Some days are better than others - Enicospilus sp - Ichneumonidae

Usually the only light on by me at night comes from my computer screen and what insects are around, tend to head straight for it. The other morning, (3am) this one dropped by. It is an Ichneumon Wasp and is about half an inch in length. I dashed off to get something to catch him in as it was still too dark to take a photograph but he had disappeared.
"Oh Well" I shrugged and concentrated on what I was doing on the computer. I reached for my coffee and took a sip then spat it out QUICKLY!! YUCK!! What was that?? It is the poor ichneumon who had gone for a swim in it and drowned. Now dont laugh!! It was not funny. LOL!! LOL!! I know they are full of vitimins, but I prefer to have my meals seperately. :) An ugly fellow isn't he?

Earlier on I was sitting outside having a Coke and watching the sunset. It is my favorite time of day. The colors were soft, from a light orange, peach, to pink. The moon was close at hand and I decided to see if I could get a decent enough picture of it.......

Honey Bees - pollen (Apis mellifera) Family Apidae

Their legs get so full of pollen eventually, you wonder how they can fly. The Honey Bee nests in exsisting cavaties in buildings and old trees. It has a very social structure with the larvae being fed by the workers.

Building a new home - Paper Wasp (Ropalidia) Vespidae

This wasp was building a new home on the wall outside. Unfortunately it is in the shade of a tree and so I had to use a flash (built-in one) so the pics are not too good. (See, I post awful pics too!! LOL!!)For some reason it started it in the middle of insect eggs which are there, now I do not know if this was to ensure that any eggs she laid would have food when they hatched or if it was by accident.

Potter Wasp (Afreumenes aethiopicus) Vespidae

 The females build one-celled spherical mud pots resembling urns, with a lip around the entrance, attached to rock faces, buildings or trees. After completion and sealing, no more mud is applied and the lip left intact.