2. jaculator

Fierce and terrifying? Not so much.

Below is the filthily named Gasteruption jaculator, the photo was taken on a burr on the huge oak just as you walk into Earlam Park from the Sports Hall gate entrance. It's not a great picture I'm afraid, so further down the page is a stock image taken professionaly. My phone insisted on focusing on the burr and not the insect. 

So what is this insect? It's a pennant wasp, and it looks quite fierce, so I'll allay your fears by first saying the big pointy thing - which is a long as the wasp itself - is not a stinger, the pennant it is in fact a non stinging wasp. 

The pointy thing is an ovipositor, an egg laying device. The next bit is rather ghoulish, the Pennant wasp, does not look after it's own young like some insects, it doesn't even make a nest and leave her grubs to hatch out alone like many other insects. Her strategy is to find another insect to do the work for her, such as a bee. Solitary bees do build a nest, in a hole or crack in a tree's bark, the bee places food in the nest, and lay eggs there, then she seals up the nest entrance with a waxy plug. Safe and sound to hatch out as grubs, eat the food she left and pupate into young bees (Thompson 2017)

The Pennant wasp searches for a solitary bee's nest and uses her lance-like ovipositor to poke through the sealing wax, and lay her eggs beside the bees eggs. the Wasp eggs hatch first, the eat the food the bee left and then eat the bees grubs too. When they mature they then chew their way out through the plug and emerge as fully grown wasps. 

I don't like to anthropomorphise this behaviour, but I will because it's fun. This is like my mum giving birth to me in another woman's house, and then walking away. Knowing full well I would eat everything in the other woman's larder and then gobble up her kids before walking out her from her house, healthy, full grown and very well fed! 

Below is a professional stock photo, better than mine. both pics' are of females, the males don't have ovipositors.

Now, the name explained. Gaster (stomach) ruption (to issue forth) jaculator (javelin thrower)
Hence the name means "I have a spear erupting out of my stomach" which isn't anatomically correct, but spot on for identification.  Quick and easy explanation about bonkers Latin names next blog.

Thompson, P. (2017) Game and wildlife conservation trust available at: https://www.gwct.org.uk/wildlife/species-of-the-month/2017/gasteruption-jaculator/ (accessed: 16/10/2019)