Female hopper, eggs, nymphs and parasitoid wasp, Ecuador.
There is a lot going on in this photo, which may be the most interesting one on this website. The subject is a 5-6mm female hopper (Adippe histrio), and the white things are her eggs. She is guarding them against tiny parasitoid wasps. Directly in front of her, one such wasp is eyeballing her eggs. Seconds after I took this shot, she lashed out at the wasp with a foreleg and scared it away. In the foreground, you can see nymphs from the broods of other Mums. They are busy sucking sap from the plant. Lying on the plant stem on the left of the hopper's tail is a molt (exuvia) left by one of the nymphs. Not shown in this photo (except for an antenna peeking over the horizon) are the ants which hang out around the hoppers. They collect the honeydew excreted by the ants and protect the hoppers against the persistent and prolific parasitoid wasps. Mindo, Ecuador.
Looking like bronze, these eggs are only a couple of millimeters in width.
One of these eggs looks like a dud or may be parasitized. The others will soon hatch.
Deceased caterpillar host and pupating parasitoid, Virginia.
The remains of a caterpillar, eaten from the inside out by a parasitic wasp, sit next to the wasp's gray cocoon. The caterpillar could be a walnut sphinx (Amorpha juglandis), but it's hard to be sure since two-thirds of him is in the little grey ball. The wasp larva would have emerged from the caterpillar, spun the cocoon, and attached it to the leaf. It will emerge as an adult wasp and is probably an Ichneumon.
Casebearer or bagworm, Costa Rica
Difficult to know who is inside this beautiful case but it is a charming construction.
A 1:1 shot reveals the beautiful pitting and neatly fitting lids on these hatched egg cases.
I spend a lot of time at La Selva Biological Station where paper wasp nests are so abundant I could probably find one within a few minutes. Both form and size of the nests vary significantly by species with many being quite small -- just a few inches in width. This one looks as if the wasps are building a new layer of cells on the outside. Once built, I believe the new cells will be enclosed and accessed through the port at the top left.
These little nests and their owners are fairly common in the lowland forest area at La Selva Bio Station in Eastern Costa. They nest under leaves in light-gaps and cleared areas and there are not usually more than five or six adults around the nest.
A flatid hopper emerges from the brilliant white protective covering that envelopes him during the nymph phase. You can see his folded and rumbled wings. His head (look for his eyes) is somewhat tucked under his body. These little hemipterans live on sap, and the white, meringue-like covering is usually described as a waxy excretion. It is what's left of the sap after the hopper extracts the nutrients it needs. It will take him a few hours to inflate his wings, and he will darken up a bit. These are common at La Selva Bio Station, where I took this photo. Very cool little critters!
These eggs have hatched and the little bugs have toddled off to find a leaf or stem and feed from it. They will do this by sucking the sap through elongated mouthparts known as "stylets". Behind them, they left these delicate and lovely egg cases.
This one is presumably in the pupal phase.
This one reminds me of a tiny ballet dancer.
These eggs are often found in clusters of 14. I love the subtle colors.
This reminds me of something one might find in a French bakery. About 5mm wide.
These wasps had built a lovely little colony on the underside of a heliconia leaf.
This egg mass may belong to a hopper in the family Membracidae.
Hand-knitted and ornamented with carefully selected beads of leaf bits, this miniature work of art is insect haute couture at its best! Take your pick on whether this is a case worm, a casebearer, or a bagworm... the common names seem to be used interchangeably.
Pentatomidae eggs and hatchlings. Virginia.
Baby shield and "stink" bugs frequently stay close to their eggs cases for a few days. These nymphs were probably about 3-4mm long.
Somewhere in there is a larva. But how in the heck did she make this?! About 10mm and one of the most beautiful I've found.
Unidentified insect structure, Malaysia
Could be a spider, could be a casebearer, could be something else. Welcome to the wonderful world of insect construction!
Pentatominae eggs suspected. Virginia.
I don't know the purpose of the little tassels arranged around the top surface of the eggs. But they are certainly lovely.
Potter wasp nests vary greatly in size and form. This one was small at about 5mm or so tall and set on a blade of grass. They are typically constructed from mud with occasional bits of detritus in the mix. I love the flange on the opening of this one. Presumably, it serves as a landing pad, and channels rain away from the opening.
A six-sided nest. I believe the cells will be six-sided too. I got too close to this one, and the wasps chased me away. As stings go, their offering was not too bad. But they are fast movers!
These cells were on the concrete ceiling of a blind in Taman Negara (national park). They appeared to have been built on top of a termite tunnel.