Bee-Wolf Wasps and Other Hymenoptera at Sandy Bedfordshire

Beewolf Wasps (Philanthus triangulum) paralyse Honey Bees and bring them back to their burrows for the larvae to feed on. Various views with Bees in flight etc. There were a lot of Pantaloon Bees around digging and provisioning burrows and also large numbers of restless males buzzing around and resting on flowers. Also found the Common Spiny Digger Wasp Oxybelus uniglumis with impaled prey, Red-legged Spider Wasp with a Spider prey, an Astata boops and Epeolus spp with beautiful pink eyes.
For details of all the strange interactions see last year's post. Additional notes on these strange interactions: the Spider wasp excavates a nest burrow in loose sand. After capture, the spider is temporarily buried whilst a suitable nest burrow is excavated. The spider recovers partially after interment and wanders across the surface of the closed cell until it is finally killed by the wasp larva feeding on its abdomen. The silk laid down by the spider during this period binds together the sand grains and maintains the structure of the cell in the loose sand.