This is a Sand digger wasp (Ammophila sabulosa), a common parasitic wasp species in The Netherlands. It has an equally intricate as gruesome lifestyle. The females dig a 5-20 cm long vertical tunnel in the sand, which ends in a nesting chamber. When the nest if finished, they go out hunting for caterpillars. The wasps can carry caterpillars which are much larger and heavier than themselves. The caterpillar is stunned with a few stings in its nervous system, after which it is carried to the nest over distances of sometimes 20-30 meters. Once in the nest, the female lays a single egg on the caterpillar, covers the entrance of the tunnel to the nest with a stone and covers it with additional sand to hide it from other wasps. I leave it to your imagination what happens to the stunned caterpillar once the egg hatches.....:eek::eek::eek:
Nikon D7000, 200mm f/4 Micro, handheld, ISO-400, 1/640 sec, f/11, JPEG.
ACR5.0/CS4. 40% crop, EC-0.1, levels, blacks, sharpening. Cloned out an OOF stick in the FG and some black spots in BG.
Critiques very welcome, I'm still learning to handle the new gear.







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