On flowers of Achillea millefolium. Photographed later, not in situ, as you can tell from the plant.
Western Springs Gardens, Auckland.
With Opisthoncus polyphemus prey.
Juvenile ruru having a look around.
Image as it carried a spider into its house made of mud inside a plug point earthing hole
A nest chamber got knocked off a house wall, so I opened it for a look. Spiders inside were two salticids, theridiids and maybe tetragnathids. The spider at bottom with dark abdomen has a wasp grub on its back. The larger of the two salticids (top right) is 4mm long.
Compare species composition with this observation:
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/72975802
Location nonspecific.
First seen resting on a wall beside a nest, presumably having just emerged (one nest chamber had a small hole). Minutes later it was in an orb web nearby. Second photo shows the spider eating it after dark.
Pupa collected from mud cell on the side of a brick house. Development followed until adult.
I saw this mason wasp on the sand with the spider. It finally gave up trying to fly away and left the spider on the sand.
Pison spinolae collecting clay.
A wasp carrying a spider It was struggling to fly with the weight of the spider.
Is this an ants head attached to its antenna? The beetle was 'frozen' in the middle of the track. Did not move when prodded.
a hitchhiker.
i have drawn on this pic to prevent theft. it is one of the only pics i have ever taken worth stealing i think.
Noticed this odd hatching eggsac of a Diamond Comb-footed Theridiidae spider, in with the spiderlings are a large number of what must be baby Baeus wasps. They all look to have wings and an extra body segment.which I guess is some kind of eggsac that will be absorbed. or discarded!
The wasp, not the spider it's carrying.
Thought this was a Mason Wasp? It was flying around and landing clutching this spider (separate obs) and was doing this for a full 15 mins. Thought it was some sort of parasitic behaviour but didn't think these were parasitic in this way? Maybe someone can shed some like on this for me?
Small wasp near a Chelostoma philadelphi. The hole diameter is 1/8", so wasp is maybe 1.5 mm long. This is the second time I've seen the wasp near the holes. Could be same individual but not sure. Parasitoid of mason bees?
Returning to the nest every two minutes or so with wet clay, adding it to the outer rim and interior of the fourth cell. By the afternoon of the following day the cell was sealed but the wasp hasn't been back.
Three-chambered nest, shortly after completion and sealing of the middle chamber.
Second photo shows contents of middle chamber: Eight jumping spiders (Hypoblemum griseum) and one Clubiona sp. Jumping spider on left has a wasp egg on its abdomen.
See this observation for image of wasp working on the middle chamber on the previous day:
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/72975801
Mason bee, and multiple nests full of dead orbweb spiders!
This appeared to be a male trying to mate with an emerging female. The nest has been on the wall for over a year, and the hole in which the female's head is visible has been there for a while too. Maybe they reuse old nests from previous years.