The yellow bumblebee predatory fly is a real robber and sometimes cannibal
In the photo that Loes van Zon sent me, I see an elongated hairy insect with a yellowish abdomen. We are dealing here with a yellow bumblebee predatory fly and that name speaks for itself. You can certainly encounter this species in sandy Brabant, because yellow bumblebee robber flies are most often encountered in open sunny places in coniferous forests. They are real robbers that hunt in flight. On the menu are almost all flying insects, from flies, butterflies to dragonflies. There is also cannibalism. They hunt from a lookout and after a short chase they grab the prey with their spiky legs and kill instantly. Then the victim is taken to a place where the prey was sucked dry.
Acorns and pine cones on an oak tree?
Jo van der Meijden saw two different things on an oak tree. At first, an ordinary acorn, but he also saw what looked like a small pinecone. What he saw was a gall on an oak tree called oak rose also known as pineapple gall. The causative agent is the pineapple gall wasp, but then in collaboration with the oak. The female of the pineapple gall wasp lays an egg on a leaf bud, as a result of which the bracts of the leaf bud develop into a pineapple gall or oak rose resembling a small pinecone. After 1, 2 or 3 years, this gall will produce female gall wasps, which have unfertilized eggs. They lay those eggs on the male flowers of an oak tree. Very small white-haired galls then develop there. And from those galls come male and female pineapple gall wasps and the cycle starts all over again.
Why do swifts fly in groups?
Frans Keustermans often sees swifts flying in Baarle Nassau, but always in groups and he wondered why this is the case. Swifts are real colony birds and therefore breed in groups together. Outside of nesting, they also fly together in large groups during the night and during the day. I think they do this as a kind of defense. For birds of prey it is much more difficult to discover individuals in a closed group. By the way, the swifts almost always fly, both while looking for food and sleeping. The latter only in two different groups. The swifts that have a nest fly or float asleep at an altitude of about 3 km. And the ones that don’t have a nest rise higher to even 5 km.
Big wasp at the house, but which one is it?
Chris Huiskamp emailed me that he had seen a very large wasp at their house / shed several times and sent me a photo of the wasp. In that photo you can clearly see that it is the European hornet. These wasps can easily grow to 3.5 inches long. In general, the hornets are not aggressive, but when they have to defend themselves they sting. Such a sting is painful, but the venom is less potent than that of a honeybee. To feed their larvae, they use this poison when doing insects. After the death blow, they grind such an insect into a paste. They then give this paste to the larvae, who in turn give the adult a sweet liquid. This liquid gives the adult animal energy again to be able to fly and catch even more insects.
Do goldfinches live in the wild or are they escaped birds?
Ugo de Greef sent me a photo of a pair of goldfinches and he wondered if they were escaped birds. Goldfinches are native birds, which normally occur fairly well in Brabant and also in Limburg in Belgium. So I don’t think they are escapees. This is a putter or goldfinch. The species got the name goldfinch because in the past they were often kept in cages, in which the birds themselves had to pull up a thimble with water (wells) in order to drink. The other name goldfinch has to do with the fact that these birds love the seeds of thistles. In general, goldfinches operate in groups during the winter. So on their journey they like to end up in places where there is enough food for them. All different goldfinches or goldfinches filmed by Gerrie van der Meulen
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Segrine snail also called small vineyard snail is edible
Toon de Klein from Venray found some snails on a plot and wanted to know what kind of snails these are. Sent here a photo of one of those snails. I think as I can see in the picture it is a shagreen snail also called small vineyard snail. The houses, also called the shells, are cone-shaped and usually slightly wider than high. They have a rather obtuse top and about 5 turns. The height of this shell is about 35 millimeters and the width comes down to about 40 millimeters. When the snail comes out of its house, the animal has a total length of up to 6 centimeters. Like many snails, snails eat mainly young green plants or shoots. They usually do this at night because it is more humid then. In autumn, the animals burrow into the leaf litter and close the shell for hibernation. Before the summer season, mating takes place and then the eggs are laid in the litter. After two to four weeks, the fry emerge, which do not mature until the following summer. If the snails are not eaten, they can live for more than five years.
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Robber fly with caught bumblebee – Stoil Ivanov
Publication: Aug 24, 2020 Video taken on 8/23/2020 in Illinois Beach State Park, Illinois. I was trying to film some bumblebees when one was quickly killed by a robber fly. The death of trapped insects is instant – less than a second due to the very potent neurotoxins and the proteolytic enzymes also start working quickly. I have observed several kills but one is enough to show what happens when prey animals don’t pay attention to their environment in nature.
Various stages of ladybug development on a leaf
Sometimes you get those photos, they are too nice and must be posted immediately. Especially if there is also a question. Mariet van de Wiel wonders whether she has photographed the birth of a ladybug and the answer is partly yes. In her photo you see an elongated dark gray larva with an orange part in the middle. At the head of that larva is a ladybug pupa and the adult ladybug has yet to emerge from that pupa. This attached video of Geurt made on April 29, 2017 shows such a complete birth.
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Nature tip
Looking for badger tracks in the Loonse en Drunense Duinen (Saturday 11 June from 10 am to 12 noon).
In search of the Badger and his stronghold. Badgers themselves will not be visible, because they are sleeping well. The badgers are the largest marten-like predators in the Netherlands. They are quite heavy built and very strong. They have short legs, with long digging claws on the front legs. Badgers in the Netherlands live in castles and dig very complex tunnel systems.
During this guided walk, the excursion leaders mainly look for the tracks left by badgers in nature.
More information
† Sign Up is mandatory
• There are cost connected to.
• Address and parking: Parking De Rustende Jager (Oude Bossche Baan 11, 5074 RC Biezenmortel)
• Put on sturdy walking shoes
• Wear clothes that suit the weather
• Always check yourself for ticks afterwards