Discover > Wonderful Wasps > Wonderful Wasps - Wasps Under Threat
Wonderful Wasps - Wasps Under Threat
Wasps are wonderful creatures! Sadly some types are very rare and need urgent action to save them. Find out more about some of these species below.
1. Four-banded Weevil-wasp
 Andrew Whitehouse unsharpen mask.jpg) |
| Four-banded Weevil-wasp (Cerceris quadricincta) © Andrew Whitehouse |
The Four-banded Weevil-wasp (Cerceris quadricincta) is one of a suite of species associated with tall, but open, not regularly grazed, droughted grasslands.This wasp is only found in coastal areas of Kent and Essex and can be seen from mid-July to mid-September. Adults have one brood per year, excavating their nesting burrows in sandy soil with good exposure to the sun. The adults stock these burrows with weevils for their larvae to eat after they hatch. This species is listed as endangered, but where the conditions are right numerous nest holes can be found in a small area.
2. Five-banded Weevil-wasp
 Mike Edwards.JPG) |
| Five- banded Weevil-wasp (Cerceris quinquefasciata) © Mike Edwards |
The Five-banded Weevil-wasp (Cerceris quinquefasciata) is a rare species found in the South-East of England on areas of exposed sandy ground such as heathlands, soft cliffs and gravel pits. The adults are active from mid-July to late-August and prefer to take nectar from bramble and creeping thistle. They build their nest-holes in fairly hard sandy soil, and can lay several eggs in one hole, provisioning each with up to five small weevils for the wasp grubs to feed on.
3. Fen Mason-wasp
 Peter Harvey.jpg) |
| Fen Mason-wasp (Odynerus simillimus) © Peter Harvey |
Fen Mason-wasp (Odynerus simillimus) has only been recorded in a few coastal grazing marshes and fens in East Anglia. It is so rare that it was presumed to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1986. Research has produced some information on the biology of this wasp. The females stock their nests with weevil larvae (Hypera pollux) collected from Fool's Watercress (Apium nodiflorum) and Lesser Water Parsnip (Berula erecta). We also have observations on the diurnal activity patterns of the adults and of males feeding by robbing nectar from Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca).
4. Purbeck Mason-wasp
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| Purbeck Mason-wasp (Pseudepipona herrichii) © Robin Williams |
Purbeck Mason-wasp (Pseudepipona herrichii) is only found on a few heathlands in south Dorset. The adults appear to feed only on bell heather, but as they have short tongues they have to bite through the base of the flower to reach the nectar. The Purbeck mason wasp is also restricted in food choice for its larvae. The adults provision the nest with the caterpillars of a small moth (Acleris hyemana) that feeds on heather. To build their nest the adults need exposed soil with a clay content, and open water to help them wet the soil for building.
