Every now and then I go on a big bug hunt to get an idea of what lives in the area and when I do, I always do my best to keep good notes and document everything I can. To keep things interesting, I will give only some of the best bugs i captured or saw.
This past Saturday (July 23, 2011), I was at Laona Forest Preserve in Durand, IL for a picnic for my cousin who had returned from military duty for a couple weeks. Another one of my cousins (who is much younger and much more curious) showed up a little while after I did. He was asking me questions about why I collect bugs (he was especially fascinated by the fact that I put them in the fridge, but he is only 4) and wanted to go out and collect some with me.
I certainly didn't mind taking him around the picnic area to see what we could find. It was a beautiful forested area, edged by a field and open area of just grass. It was in the mid-80s, mostly cloudy, very humid, and a light occasional breeze drifted through.
We began our search and we hadn't even been looking for 2 minutes when I noticed a wasp land in the grass nearby. Now normal people would just walk away, but this was a type of wasp I had been searching for for quite a while. So of course I saw 2 others over the next couple hours. It's all in where you look. The wasp that I caught was an American Pelecinid Wasp (Pelecinus polyturator).
While it looks like what the aliens in the Alien movies were based upon, it isn't quite that scary or intense. It has a long, very flexible abdomen that it uses to parasitize May beetle larvae aka grubs. The abdomen is very flexible and can easily poke into the ground to search for the larvae. Once the female locates one, she lays an egg in it. The larvae has no way of removing this pest and has no choice but to the be the buffet for the young wasp after it hatches and begins to grow. Many species of parasitic wasp grubs will actually eat carefully so that their host stays alive for as long as possible. Rather gruesome in a way, but a very good way to control pest insects should the need arise.
Besides catching that beauty, I also caught a type of sweat bee that I didn't know lived around here. It's the Green Sweat Bee (Agapostemon sp.). Unfortunately, I can't put an exact species to it at this point, but I'm going to keep working at it.
As I was walking around a tree (where I caught some good sized carpenter ants (Camponotus sp.)), I noticed a bright green blur buzzing around it. Ever curious, I waited for a moment to see if it came back and got lucky as I saw a small bee briefly land on the tree trunk. I tried to catch it, but wasn't quite quick enough. I was disappointed, but I would keep searching and hopefully find another.
My searching paid off as I found a whole hive of them nesting in a hollowed out tree trunk. It was a sight to see little flecks of green buzzing about the hollows of the dead wood. I watched for a few moments before figuring out a good place to make a capture. With all the hollows and canals left by previous residents, it was a challenge just to find a decent spot to try capturing one. I ended up getting my chance as one flew into a hole and I placed the jar over it. It was a good catch as I quickly scooted away to avoid disturbing the rest of the hive.
I did catch a few other insects while out, but these were the best captures of the day. I caught two other species of Hymenoptera, three Coleopterans, and a Hemipteran.
Watch out for something new every day,
Bug
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