Trissolcus euschisti with egg mass

This week brings us a photograph with lots of action. The pale round objects are the eggs of stink bugs, and from one has emerged a male parasitic wasp (Trissolcus euschisti). As is typical for this genus, the males emerge first and fight for access to the females to mate with them as soon as they emerge. The males can often be seen "drumming" on the eggs as the females begins to emerge. Here the male eagerly awaits the emergence of a female who has just begun to chew her way out.

Dermestids are our friend and our foe.

Hello,

This week brings us an attractive looking insect that is both helpful and hurtful- a dermestid beetle! Beetles in this family (Dermestidae) typically feed on dry, dead things, although they also will eat freshly dead things when possible. This particular species, the varied carpet beetle (Anthrenus verbasci) feeds on skin and hair and thus can be destructive to museum specimens. This specimen was found eating its way through the collection of a local bird wing collector!

Other species of dermestid beetles (Dermestes americanus) are of great use to museums because they perform the odoriferous and unenviable task of cleaning decaying flesh from skeletons.

Yellow Jacket

This week brings us the head of a yellow jacket (Vespidae: Vespula) from the forests of Slovakia. As many of you know, these wasps build nests from paper that the wasps produce from chewing on dead wood. If you disturb these creatures, they will certainly sting you. Here you can gaze at a wasp face closely without fear.

Treehopper: Membracidae

This weeks brings a Treehopper to your mind (Family=Membracidae). These insects suck plant juices, primarily from trees and shrubs, and very few of them cause economic damage. A part of these insects, called the pronotum, is typically enlarged and it may take a wide variety of shapes. Some mimic thorns, others look like psychedelic Christmas tree ornaments. This specimen was collected in Columbus, Ohio, by insect enthusiast Marietta Belfanti.

Raphidiidae: The Snakefly

This weeks brings a snakefly (Neuroptera: Raphidiidae) from the forests of Slovakia. The female (as seen here) use her lengthy ovipositor to lay eggs in the crevices of bark. The larvae then feed beneath this bark on small arthropods.

The cat flea: Ctenocephalides felis

This flea was collected from a feline friend of mine, Smoldron. Zoom in on the abdomen and you will see trachea below the tergites.

Amblyaspis

This week brings us another member of the subfamily Platygastrinae (parasitoids of gall flies). This time it is a species in the genus Amblyaspis, collected in Slovak hills of meadows and forest.

A recipient requested that a wasp be imaged on a coin to depict its size, and here it is on penny. The specimen that you see on the penny is the same in the high resolution image (please zoom in to appreciate the setation and fine sculpture of the exoskeleton).