PDA

View Full Version : Any Entomologists in the Playground?



scienceguy8
2013-09-13, 03:11 PM
I saw something not too long ago that I've never seen before. Maybe you guys would like to aid me in my confusion? Couple days ago, I'm standing outside watching the satellite installation technician put a dish on my parent's house (we've had problems with contractors in the past and they wanted to be extra sure nothing went missing during his visit). I'm standing just off the driveway in the dirt when a wasp or similar insect flies down to the ground about a foot from me. The wasp, yellow with black stripes, sheds its exoskeleton, turning black and prism-like in the process. It then proceeds to start digging into the clay soil. Why did it shed its exoskeleton and why did it start digging?

Traab
2013-09-13, 03:43 PM
Did it look like this? (http://www.ask.com/wiki/Sphecius_speciosus#Life_cycle_and_habits)

You didnt say where you live, that could matter in narrowing things down a bit.

Palanan
2013-09-13, 03:44 PM
I'm more of an amateur rather than a professional entomologist, but a couple things occur to me.

First, the way you describe it, the wasp shed its "exoskeleton" in a just a moment or two. Arthropods that shed usually take longer to do this. Also, as far as I know, wasps don't naturally shed once they've reached adulthood--at least, I've never seen a wasp shed, although I find spiderskins almost every day, and odonate sheds are a part of the landscape when I'm out on the water.

Now, you were there and I wasn't, but my guess is your wasp was actually carrying another insect which it had caught and paralyzed, and it was digging in the clay in order to entomb its prey. Many, many wasp species hunt other insects or arachnids and paralyze them to serve as hosts for one or more eggs.

I have a feeling this is what happened, but the realm of insects is immense, so anything could be happening. If you could find what you thought was the exoskeleton, and share a photo here, that would give us something to work with.

Eldan
2013-09-13, 04:06 PM
I studied bees and not wasps, but:

A lot of solitary hymenopterans (bees and wasps) nest underground. So, it is quite likely that it was digging the first tunnel for its nest.

As for the colour, not sure. I'm not aware of any that change colours when they shed their exoskeletons, but if I ran into the entomo prof, I can ask him.

scienceguy8
2013-09-13, 05:49 PM
Did it look like this? (http://www.ask.com/wiki/Sphecius_speciosus#Life_cycle_and_habits)

You didnt say where you live, that could matter in narrowing things down a bit.

It was a bit smaller and the pattern isn't quite right. I'd say my insect was about 3/4 of an inch long. Location is West Virginia. Elevation is roughly 1,020 feet above sea level.


First, the way you describe it, the wasp shed its "exoskeleton" in a just a moment or two. Arthropods that shed usually take longer to do this. Also, as far as I know, wasps don't naturally shed once they've reached adulthood--at least, I've never seen a wasp shed, although I find spiderskins almost every day, and odonate sheds are a part of the landscape when I'm out on the water.

Now, you were there and I wasn't, but my guess is your wasp was actually carrying another insect which it had caught and paralyzed, and it was digging in the clay in order to entomb its prey. Many, many wasp species hunt other insects or arachnids and paralyze them to serve as hosts for one or more eggs.

I have a feeling this is what happened, but the realm of insects is immense, so anything could be happening. If you could find what you thought was the exoskeleton, and share a photo here, that would give us something to work with.

I suppose that is possible, but I'd assume the wasp would carry its prey below rather than on its back, atop its wings. Maybe I mis-viewed? Unfortunately, I did not grab the exoskeleton and the wind and rain have surely washed it away by now.


A lot of solitary hymenopterans (bees and wasps) nest underground. So, it is quite likely that it was digging the first tunnel for its nest.

That's what I figured, but I wanted to confirm. When we lived in Illinois we had to deal with a bunch of wasps who made nests in our old sandbox.

Kindablue
2013-09-13, 11:35 PM
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/wrong_superhero.png