Wonderful Wasp - Wasp Gallery

Rudd’s ruby-tailed wasp (Chrysis ruddii) © Roger Key. This tiny colourful wasp can curl up into a tight ball like a woodlouse to protect it from being stung by other wasps and bees.

Grey spider hunting wasp (Pompilus cinereus) © Roger Key. One of a group of solitary wasps that specialises on hunting spiders and dragging the paralyses arachnids into holes where they lay an egg on the hapless animal.

A paper wasp (Polistes dominula) © Ben Hamers. A European social wasp that builds an exposed papery honeycomb nest. They rarely turn up in the UK.

A Velvet ant (Mutilla europaea) © Roger Key. This female wasp has no wings and is covered in soft hair.

Wasp nest interior © Roger Key

Ancistrocerus parietum © Nigel Jones