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Vigilante · 08-19-2009, 10:56 AM

I catch many things in the wild. When I have the time, I live in the wild

. I almost don't mean that metaphorically at all. I used to stay in the woods (no pun intended, honest) alot more than I do now.

However, these critters are in my back yard. I can explain what the series of pics means in better detail. First the ecology.
The cicada killer is a solitary wasp that digs a burrow, captures cicadas, and stashes them, alive and paralyzed, in chambers within the burrow. From there she lays an egg on the cicada and her larvae feed on the live insect until they reach maturity.

As you know, there is always someone bigger and badder than the bully. Well in this case, it's smaller but much badder. Enter the velvet ant. It's actually another solitary wasp, but the female is wingless and confused as a ant. The stinger is about 1cm long, huge by any standard, and the sting is extraordinarily painful. I witnessed my grandfather (a WWII vet) shed a tear when he was stung by one. It's that painful.
http://wildflowers.jdcc.edu/Cow_Ant.JPG

Anyways, the velvet ant species we are covering forages all day for a cicada killer burrow, and when it finds one it lays an egg on the larva of the cicada killer wasp. It then eats both wasp larvae and cicada. It is designed to deflect the harpoon-like stinger of the cicada killer with heavy body armor. I have seen one run over by a truck that kept going. I'm serious.

Now, back to the pics. I believe the first wasp (the one I'm holding) lost a battle with a velvet ant. It appeared to have been stung under the right wing. It was convulsing and if you could say they feel pain, this one would be accurately described that way. If you fight with a velvet ant, you're going to lose. Period.

The second pic was another female cicada killer, trying to get away from me with her catch. She tried to fly too soon and hit the grass, where I simply walked up and took her cicada. She can get another one easily enough, and the cicada is good food for the bluegills in my pond

The last pic, the cicada, is perfectly paralyzed yet still alive. Well he was. Now he's halfway through a fish gut. hehe.

If I catch another live male cicada, I'll show you what they do when you touch their belly. They scream extremely loud.

08-19-2009, 10:56 AM	#110 (permalink)
Vigilante Broken Arrow Location: US	I catch many things in the wild. When I have the time, I live in the wild . I almost don't mean that metaphorically at all. I used to stay in the woods (no pun intended, honest) alot more than I do now. However, these critters are in my back yard. I can explain what the series of pics means in better detail. First the ecology. The cicada killer is a solitary wasp that digs a burrow, captures cicadas, and stashes them, alive and paralyzed, in chambers within the burrow. From there she lays an egg on the cicada and her larvae feed on the live insect until they reach maturity. As you know, there is always someone bigger and badder than the bully. Well in this case, it's smaller but much badder. Enter the velvet ant. It's actually another solitary wasp, but the female is wingless and confused as a ant. The stinger is about 1cm long, huge by any standard, and the sting is extraordinarily painful. I witnessed my grandfather (a WWII vet) shed a tear when he was stung by one. It's that painful. http://wildflowers.jdcc.edu/Cow_Ant.JPG Anyways, the velvet ant species we are covering forages all day for a cicada killer burrow, and when it finds one it lays an egg on the larva of the cicada killer wasp. It then eats both wasp larvae and cicada. It is designed to deflect the harpoon-like stinger of the cicada killer with heavy body armor. I have seen one run over by a truck that kept going. I'm serious. Now, back to the pics. I believe the first wasp (the one I'm holding) lost a battle with a velvet ant. It appeared to have been stung under the right wing. It was convulsing and if you could say they feel pain, this one would be accurately described that way. If you fight with a velvet ant, you're going to lose. Period. The second pic was another female cicada killer, trying to get away from me with her catch. She tried to fly too soon and hit the grass, where I simply walked up and took her cicada. She can get another one easily enough, and the cicada is good food for the bluegills in my pond The last pic, the cicada, is perfectly paralyzed yet still alive. Well he was. Now he's halfway through a fish gut. hehe. If I catch another live male cicada, I'll show you what they do when you touch their belly. They scream extremely loud. __________________ We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. -Winston Churchill