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pics Misc macro pics

I saw the strangest thing this morning when I was tracking down hornworms...

This has got to be some predatory insect that laid its eggs on the hornworm, right? Like maybe the assasin bug or a predatory wasp?

HornwormHell.jpg
 
That's what those are! It's actually a parasitic wasp that lays it's eggs on the hornworm's back. When the babies hatch, they hatch INTO the worm, and have plenty to eat.

You could keep that one alive until the babies hatch, and then when it's dead and the baby wasps are come out, stick it in the garden again! More harbingers of death on your squad!
 
Yeah, I left this one alone instead of squishing it like... a bug. He may have been in that condition for a couple of days already so it shouldn't be long before I see results. The worm barely responded to my poking ... so it ain't feeling too good.
 
Haha - great pic Carol! I swear you should work for National Geographic. You have some amazing stuff.
 
poor ol' hornworm....dying an agonizing slow death being eaten from the inside out...
 
caroltlw said:
OK, I'm dragging out the big guns from the archive. Here's my all-time favorite macro shot:

bumbler.jpg


IGG WARNING:
I have a few more favs, but a lot of them involve SPIDERS. If you are not IGGY, you can see some more bug pics including SPIDERS and SPIDERS eating stuff here: bug pics

What a fabulous picture. I love how he is covered in pollen.
 
AlabamaJack said:
poor ol' hornworm....dying an agonizing slow death being eaten from the inside out...

Yeah, I usually remove the leaf they're on and stomp on them for a quick death. According to the NG site, they starve to death which I'm sure isn't fun but not as bad as being eaten alive. Probably.

Toleman said:


Awesome! I didn't know that the cocoons were coming out of the hornworm - so it's been harboring the baby wasps for a couple of weeks already.

abulldog said:
What a fabulous picture. I love how he is covered in pollen.

I kinda cheated on that. He was sitting there on a cold spring morning and not very mobile. I took a couple of quick pics, fearing he would fly away, and then offered him a flower to crawl on got him to 'pose' for me several times before he finally warmed up and left.
 
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