شناسایی Wasps, Sawflies, Ants and Bees (Hymenoptera)

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Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

The Common Wasp is black with yellow lines. These lines run straight, but are very variable in size. A rather sure way of identifying most Common Wasps is by looking at the clypeus: it is yellow with a black anchor-shaped marking. In some animals the anchor-shape is reduced. If it has been reduced to three small black dots it is extremely difficult to tell the animals apart from the very similar German Wasp. The Common Wasp is the smaller of the two, but the differences are extremely minuscule. Queens reach a length of 16 to 19mm. The males reach a bodily length of 13 to 17mm. The workers are relatively modest, growing to some 11 to 14mm only.

The queen starts building her nest by the end of April. Usually the nest is made in old animal nests in the ground. But nests are also made in confined spaces above the ground, such as hollow trees and hollow walls. The Common Wasp's paper is made of rather moist, decaying wood. The nest is ochreoous to brownish in color. The outside is rough and covered in clam-shaped air chambers. A nest may contain up to 12 combs and some nests are over 1 meter long. At it's peak a colony may be comprised of over 12,000 animals, eggs and larvae included. A queen is capable of producing 50,000 eggs! The nest is well guarded and the Common Wasp is quite aggressive in it's vicinity. Just like with most other wasps and bees a pheromone is released with each sting, alarming the other wasps in the nest. That is why swarms of bees and wasps attack intruders. By the end of summer this species likes to eat sweet stuff. It readily visits houses and terraces to get at it. It is extremely persistent and will sting if it feels like it. Almost all people that got stung by a Yellow Jacket got stung by either the Common Wasp or the German Wasp. Still these two species have given all wasps a bad name.

The Common Wasp is extremely common in all moderate zones of the Northern hemisphere: Europe, Asia, Japan and Northern America. Has been introduced in New Zealand and Australia. In Britain it and the German Wasp are the most common Yellow Jackets. The big nests often houses one or more guests, such as the larvae of some hover flies.

Lots of orchids do not produce any nectar at all. So they are worthless to the pollinators. Yet they attract certain insects. How do they do that? The orchids produce the so-called pheromons of certain insects. Pheromons are chemical compositions that travel through the air. Among others attracting the opposite *** of certain animals. They smell eachother, often over long distances. The orchids immitate these chemicals, thus attracting the insect. It will enter the flower, believing there should be a mate somewehere. After looking for quite some time, it will leave the flower disappointed. Only to be attracted by the next flower of course. While visiting the first flower, it glues a horn like lump of seed on the forhead of the insect. In the next flower this lump is taken off and thus the orchid is reproducing itself. In our part of Europe most orchids concentrate on wasps, but there are also orchids fooling flies or beetles. Besides a picture of a wasp having such a hornlike lump attached to its head.

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German Wasp Vespula germanica

German Wasp Vespula germanica

German Wasp Vespula germanica

The German Wasp is black with yellow lines. It is extremely similar to the Common Wasp. The best way of telling the females apart is by looking at the black spot in the yellow clypeus. There are usually three small black spots (rarely one) and it is never anchor-shaped as it is in case of the Common Wasp. The males can only be identified by studying their private parts under the microscope. The German Wasp is the bigger of the two, but only just. Queens have a bodily length of 17 to 20mm. Workers reach a length of 12 to 16mm and the males usually are some 13 to 17mm long.

The queen of the German Wasp starts constructing her nest very early indeed: by the beginning of April. It is normally made underground in a abandoned mouse nest or even a mole hill, but may be contructed at dark places in buildings etc. Rarely in a hollow wall, though. The German Wasp uses dry, weather-beaten wood to produce the paper the nest is constructed with. That is why the nest is always greyish and never brownish. Because of this choice in wood the animals are regularly seen chewing on old, unpainted wooden fences, poles and garden furniture. Sometimes accompanied by Red Wasps, for this species uses the same materials. The nest maybe over 2 metres long and contains up to 14 combs. The air chambers on the outside have one opening, which is facing downwards. The nest of the German Wasp is one of the very few in possession of more than one entrance. The nest may hold 10.000 animals in total at its peak. Near the entrance of the nest the German Wasp is far less aggressive than the Common Wasp is. But that is the only plus. In autumn at a terrace it doesn't matter which of the two species appear: both are readily stingers when someone is between them and their food.

The German Wasp is better adapted to warm climates than the Common Wasp. Thus it doesn't live in Europe and Northern Asia only, but can be found in more southern parts of Asia and in Northern Africa as well, but not in the Tropics. It has been introduced into New Zealand and Australia, the Andes in South America, Southern Africa and the eastern parts of the USA and Canada. A very common species all over the British Isles.

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Red Wasp Vespula rufa

Red Wasp Vespula rufa

Red Wasp Vespula rufa

The Red Wasp is black with yellow lines, except for the first part of the abdomen, which is brownish red or has some brownish red patches. This makes it very similar to the hornet. The latter is much bigger though and has red markings on the thorax too. The markings on the Red Wasp's thorax are always yellow, never red. Together with the Hornet and dark specimens of the Median Wasp the Red Wasp is one of the very few Yellow Jackets which can be identified in the field easily. Queens have a bodily length of 17 to 20mm. Workers reach a length of 12 to 16mm and the males usually are some 13 to 17mm long.

By the end of March or the beginning of April the queen will be looking for a good place to build a nest. It is constructed underground in an abandoned mouse nest or similar cavity. The nest remains very small, for the diameter rarely ever is over 20cm. The paper is chewed from old, weathered, but dry wood. It is the same material used by the German wasp and the two species are regularly seen together chewing at old garden furniture, unpainted fences or poles etc. The nests are of the same light greyish colour. The outside of the nest of the Red Wasp is very smooth indeed and there are no air chambers. Inside the nest are 3 to 5 combs. At its peak some 700 animals (including eggs, larvae and pupae) inhabit the nest. Yet there are only some 100 to 300 workers, for the Red Wasp is a very efficient animal. To bring up one queen, only 1.1 worker is needed. The Common Wasp for instance uses over 10 workers just to breed one queen! The new queens of the Red Wasp and the males appear by the end of August. Usually all Red Wasps have disappeared before the end of September: all males and workers are dead, the new queens have found a place for overwintering. The Red Wasp hardly ever stings, not even in the vicinity of the nest. You should really stand on the nest, to get this species worked up. However the sting apparently is more painful than the sting of other Yellow Jackets. In autumn it will never bother us at our terrace or in our gardens. The nest might be taken over by a cuckoo wasp: the Austrian Wasp. The latter is a very rare species and little is known about its life cycle.

The Red Wasp is not nesting in the vicinity of man as often as the German Wasp and the Common Wasp do. The nests are much smaller too. As a consequence the Red Wasp is not as often seen as these other species. Still the Red Wasp is a very common, often even abundant pecies in the moderate climate zone of the Northern Hemisphere: Central and Northern Europe (not in the south), Northern Asia, Japan, Canada and the USA. Even though the nest may be made in parks or gardens, the species prefers heaths, light forests and moors.

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Saxon Wasp Dolichovespula saxonica

Saxon Wasp Dolichovespula saxonica

Saxon Wasp Dolichovespula saxonica

The Saxon Wasp is black with yellow, stripe-shaped markings. You can't tell much by just looking at the stripes. Anyway, it is very tough identifying wasps by the pattern of the yellow stripes. In case of the Saxon Wasp the lining is highly variable, but the first three or four yellow lines tend to be very small. The Saxon Wasp shares this characteristic with the Medium Wasp, though. The markings on the face are variable too, but the Saxon Wasp usually just has a black hole within the yellow. The hairs are of different colours according to location. Those on top of the thorax are black, those on the side of the thorax are white or grey. All this makes the Saxon Wasp queen and female difficult to identify. Males are even harder still. Best thing is to examine them under the microscope. And that goes for most males of Dolichovespula species. When it comes to size, the Saxon Wasp is quite the ordinary wasp. Queens are between 15 and 18mm long. Workers are relatively small and measure from 11 to 14mm. And reaching a bodily length of 13 to 15mm males are neatly in the middle of all this. The best way identifying this species is by the nest.

The queen starts building a new nest after overwintering. Usually this is in May. The nest is very prominently situated. It hangs freely, but never in open air. Sometimes it is constructed indoors, usually in a stables or in the attic, but more often it is being build outside attached to the gutter or a porch. The nest has a greyish colour, with some yellowish lines or patches as only colourful accents. The outside is smooth without ventilation holes. It is rarely longer than some 25cm. The number of occupants in the nest, including eggs and larvae, is less than 1,000. A nest of the Common Wasp may contain well over 12,000 inhabitants, so the Saxon Wasp has small nests indeed. The nest is always open at the bottom and this opening serves as entrance and exit. Waist simply falls out of the nest and drops to the floor, where we find it in a small heap, called the latrine. A nest contains a maximum of 5 combs, but usually less. The nest construction takes a short time only and the entire population is build up quickly. In September the colony falls apart. The Saxon Wasp is a very friendly animal. It hardly ever stings and is not aggressive in the vicinity of the nest. In autumn it never bothers us on the terrace or the beach.

The Saxon Wasp inhabits large parts of Europe and northern and central Asia. It is absent on the British Isles, though. In the Low Countries and in Northern France it is a very common wasp. Loves to live in the vicinity of people. Nests are being destroyed needlessly. This is due to the fact that the wasp makes it nests at striking locations, where it is usually spotted by people immediately. The destruction of the nests is a pity however, for the Saxon Wasp is an excellent exterminator of flies and other insects. Besides it is far from aggressive towards people.

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Cuckoo Wasp Dolichovespula adulterina

Cuckoo Wasp Dolichovespula adulterina

Dolichovespula adulterina

Dolichovespula adulterina is a black wasp with a yellow pattern of lines. The species is extremely similar to the Saxon Wasp. And just like in the Saxon Wasp the markings on the clypeus are variable. The hairs on the thorax though have one colour mainly: they are blond. Males can only be identified by looking at them under a microscope, which is true for all Dolichovespula males. The body of the female reaches a length of 14 to 17mm. Males remain slightly smaller and reach a bodily length of 12 to 15mm.

Dolichovespula adulterina is a cuckoo wasp. This means it doesn't make its own nest, but simply takes over an existing one. The workers of the existing nest are used to bring up the cuckoo wasp's young. Cuckoo wasps thus only have females and males and no workers. Dolichovespula adulterina takes over the nest of a Saxon Wasp. The female waits until the nest is developed completely and there are enough workers in it. Then she makes her entrance in the nest and tries to kill the Saxon Wasp's queen. Of course the queen tries to sting the intruder, but Dolichovespula adulterina has an unsusual thick chitine skin and she can withstand a lot. That's why the attack on the queen is succesfull many times. The queen is killed and the cuckoo takes over. She starts by killing all eggs and larvae of the Saxon Wasp. Next she deposists her own eggs. The Saxon Wasp workers take care of the eggs like they are their own. Once the larvae hatch, the workers provide them with all the food they need. But once all are adult, the party is over. The workers are worn out and start dying. And as there is no more Saxon wasp queen, the workers are not replaced. So the nest slowly becomes empty. The new cuckoo wasps however have already left the nest and mated. Soon the males will die and the females will look for a place to hibernate. By the end of August all females are fast asleep, not to be woken until May or June next year! The sting of Dolichovespula adulterina may be lethal for Saxon Wasps, for humans it is one of the most painless wasp stings.

Dolichovespula adulterina is quite common in Europe, Northern and Central Asia and Japan. Absent from the British Isles though. It is common wherever the Saxon Wasp is. This species is very seldom seen, not because it is rare, but because it is so difficult to identify.

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Median Wasp Dolichovespula media

Median Wasp Dolichovespula media

Median Wasp Dolichovespula media

The Median Wasp is black with yellow stripes. The stripes on the thorax may be reddish though. This species is highly variable, especially the amount of yellow differs from specimen to specimen. When there is quite a lot of red on the thorax, the Median Wasp is similar to the Hornet. It is however smaller and more slender. Often the Median Wasp is one of the very few paper wasps identifiable in the field, for it often looks like a very dark wasp. The first few stripes on the abdomen may be extremely small or even absent. Some animals appear to be black completely. Blackish animals, reddish one, all variations appear within one nest. The markings on the clypeus are distinctive as well: at about one third from the top there is a black circle or oval, often with a tiny band running to the top of the clypeus. Finally the Median Wasp has a sign of "7" on the sides of the thorax. Apart from the much bigger Hornet the Median Wasp is our biggest Paper Wasp. Queens may grow to a length of 18 to 22mm. The workers and the drones reach a bodily length of 15 to 19mm.

The queen starts building the nest by the end of April. Usually the nest is attached in open air at the branch of a tree or in shrubs. But houses are used as well, where the nest is attached to gutters etc. The nest has the shape of a football at first, but becomes oval later. Fresh nests have a very long downwards pointing tunnel which serves as an entrance. This tunnel maybe 4 times as long as the nest itself. When there are enough workers the tunnel is liquidated. Older nests have the opening at the side, usually about one third from the bottom and no tunnel is to be seen. The nest of the Median Wasp has so-called air chambres. These are small attachements on the outside to the nest, which ensure circulation of air within the nest. The funny thing with the Median Wasp is that these chambres are present, but they are entirely closed. This is an important characteristic of the nests of this species. The paper of which the nest is being made is very smooth and bright grey, often with a blueish appearance. Some layers can be yellowish, though. The nest has a maximum of six combs and some 900 to 1,700 inhabitants, including eggs and larvae. At its height a nest contains about 500 workers. The first workers appear by the end of may or the beginning of June. As the species is quite big and the nest is made in places where it is for everyone to see, many nests are destroyed. Yet the Median Wasp is a peaceful species. It will fly away from you rather than attack you. Still quite some people are stung by this species, mainly because some nests, especially those in shrubs, are hard to see and gardeners may disturb them during pruning. This species is attracted to sweet food and may come to you at a terrace. By waving at it, you will scare it off. Contrary to the Common and German Wasp, which only get agitated when being waved at. Curiously the Median Wasp has no known Cuckoo Wasp. There is another parasite pestering her. It is a parasitic wasp called Sphecophaga vesparum. She deposits her eggs on a larva of the Median Wasp which has just hatched. After hatching herself, the larva of the parasitic wasp will eat the larva of the Median wasp.

Common species over much of Europe. It doesn't like warm conditions though. In Southern Europe for instance it is only seen in mountain areas. A new species to Britain, which appeared in the mid-1980's. It rapidly spreads its wings in Britain and is now found in most of southern England.

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Mason Wasps Eumeninae

Mason Wasps Eumeninae

Mason Wasps Eumeninae

The Mason Wasps differ from the Social Wasps in many respects. The female builds a nest individually and just for herself. The wasps do not cooperate and there are no queens and workers. The abdomen always starts of slenderly, which gives the animals a beautiful wasp waist. Most Mason Wasps make chambers in cavities in dead wood or hollow reet. These chambers are stuffed with paralyzed caterpillars or beetle larvae. The female deposits her egg on top and then seals off the chamber, by masoning a small wall. One cavity may hold several chambers. There are some genera of Mason Wasps and each is comprised of many species. It is impossible to name each species in the field. You will need a magnifying glass or even a microscope to do that. Usually however it is possible to name the genus in the field.
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Ancistrocerus parietum, a Mason Wasp

Ancistrocerus parietum, a Mason Wasp

Ancistrocerus parietum, a Mason Wasp

The Mason Wasps, genus Ancistrocerus, are all very similar. The basic color is black, covered with yellow lines and other yellow markings. The Mason Wasps all have a very thin connection between the thorax and the abdomen. The next segments are also rather thin, but increase in size. There are well over 12 Ancistrocerus species in Britain and they are very difficult to identify indeed. It is rather certain the animal on this page belongs to the Ancistrocerus parietum group, consisting of Ancistrocerus parietum, A. gazella and A. quadratus. Of these species A. parietum is most common in Holland, while probably A. gazella is most common in Britain. It is virtually impossible to tell the species apart by looking at photographs. The animals are about 1cm in size. Females vary from 10 to 13mm, males are slightly smaller and reach a bodily length of 8 to 11mm.

In spring time, usually by mid-April, the female appears and starts looking for a good place to build a nest. That may be a stem of reet or a hole in a tree used by a beetle to exit. But man made holes in wood are also accepted happily. The wider the hole the bigger the cells in the nest are. Bigger cells produce females, smaller cells males. Usually in one hole two cells are being made. Each cell is stuffed with 2 to 4 sedated caterpillars of moths. The egg is put on top of them and the cell is sealed off. To seal a cell a kind of fine loamy mortal is used, which the animal makes herself by chewing on clay. After hatching the larvae grow very fast indeed. That is the reason Ancistrocerus parietum has two broods a year. That is also the reason it is on the wing for a very long time and may be seen from April to the beginning of October. Being busy as she is, the female attracts a lot of attention. One of them is the beautiful, but very lazy Common Cuckoo Wasp. She keeps an eye on the Mason Wasp. And by the time the Mason Wasp is about to seal off a cell, the Cuckoo Wasp quickly deposits her egg on top of the Mason Wasp's. The cuckoo's egg hatches earlier and the first thing its larva does is eating the Mason Wasp's egg. Then it feeds on the caterpillars so neatly collected by the Mason Wasp.

Of the similar Ancistrocerus species, both A. parietum and A. gazella are very common in Britain.

In the past Mason Wasps were considered to be closely related to the Potter Wasps and they are still often referred to as such.

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Symmorphus crassicornis, a Mason Wasp

Symmorphus crassicornis, a Mason Wasp

Symmorphus crassicornis, a Mason Wasp

Symmorphus crassicornis looks like numerous other wasps: black with yellow stripes and markings. The species of this genus are extremely similar and very hard to tell apart. We have good reasons assuming it is Symmorphus crassicornis depicted on this page. However it remains possible one or both of the animals in the pictures actually belong to another species. In Britain there are some 4 Symmorphus species. Symmorphus crassicornis is the biggest. Females grow to a length of 11 to 16mm, males remain smaller, some 10 to 12mm. Telling the species apart is very difficult, but telling apart the males from the females is very easy, even in the field, for all males have the top of the antenna folded backwards.

Symmorphus crassicornis females are on the wing from May till September. They are always on the look out for good nesting possibilities, or they are hunting for food to deposit with the eggs. Nests are made in cavities in wood, such as the exit holes of beetles. Hollow reet is also used and hand made holes in wood are also gratefully accepted. Contrary to most other Mason Wasps Symmorphus species accept holes running either way, vertically or horizontally. In general a nest exists of three chambers. Each chamber is sealed off with a concrete door. The concrete is made bij the wasp herself by chewing on moist earth. According to a recent study in Lithuania the female collects larvae of just a few species of Leaf Beetles only. Most popular were the Red Poplar Leaf Beetle (Chrysomela populi) and the non British Chrysomela saliceti, a smaller Leaf Beetle species found on poplars as well. Accept for one case all other larvae collected were Chrysomela species too. It is possible though that when these Chrysomela larvae are scarce other larvae are hunted down. The food is stored in the nest cell. An egg is deposited on top of the sedated larvae and then the chamber is sealed off. When the egg hatches, the larvae will eat the fresh food his mother provided him with. No less than three Cuckoo Wasps are parasitic to Symmorphus crassicornis, including the Common Cuckoo Wasp.

Symmorphus crassicornis is quite common in England, common in Wales and rare in Scotland. The status in Ireland is unknown to us.

In the top picture is a male. In the bottom pictures is a female Symmorphus. She lived for a short time only. She tried to crawl out of the hole were she was just born, but didn't succeed. The exit was blocked by a cobweb and she got entangled. As far as we can tell it was a cobweb and not a spider's web, for the animal died untouched and certainly wasn't sucked dry.

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Saw Flies Symphyta

Saw Flies Symphyta

Saw Flies Symphyta

There are about 530 species of sawfly in Holland alone. Most species are very small. Some of the larger species immitate wasps. Their larvae usually look like caterpillars, but some look like little slugs. You can tell them apart by looking at the feet: slugs don't have feet, caterpillars have five pairs of feet at the second part of the body tops, while the larvae of sawflies have at least six pairs. The larvae sometimes become a plague, especially in pines, cherries, pears or roses (rose slugs). Sawflies are related to wasps and not to flies. You can tell so by looking at the number of wings (Sawflies have 4 wings, flies only 2) and also the head is identical. Sawflies however are very primitive wasps and they lack the typical wasp waiste. Many species, even a great number of the bigger ones, are very hard to identify.

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Honeysuckle Sawfly Zaraea fasciata

Honeysuckle Sawfly Zaraea fasciata

Honeysuckle Sawfly Zaraea fasciata

The Honeysuckle Sawfly is among the most impressive sawflies around. It is entirely build like a fly, not a wasp. But even a quick look will reveal the animal is in possession of four wings. And creatures possessing four wings never are flies. It belongs to a family we call the Clubhorned Sawflies (looking at the picture will explain this name to you) or the Cimbicid Sawflies (family Cimbicidae). It lives in North West Africa, Europe, Northern and Central Asia and Japan, but is a rare sight everywhere. Yet it is a big and very striking species. The larvae are said to live on Honeysuckle exclusively.

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Arge species

Arge species

Arge spec

Some of the more colourful Arge species can be identified from pictures, especially when the foodplant is known. But there are quite a number of all black species. These are extremely similar and need to be examined under the microscope, in order to be identified. This usually involves killing the animal. We spared the animal on this page from that terrible fate. Meaning we have no idea about the exact species. Consequently we cannot give you any details about it's life or feeding habits.

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Large Rose Sawfly Arge pagana

Large Rose Sawfly Arge pagana

Large Rose Sawfly Arge pagana

There are actually two species referred to as the Large Rose Sawfly. Arge pagana is the common species, Arge ochropus is rarer. The Large Rose Sawfly depicted on this page is Arge pagana though, so everything else in this article is about that particular species. The Large Rose Sawfly is a quite beautiful and shiny animal. The animal is entirely black, except for the abdomen which is yellowish orange. Because of the dark, blackish wings, which are kept over the abdomen, the orange colour may not always be clearly visible. The legs are usually entirely black as well. The animals are not capable flyers, slowly flying about with the legs hanging down. In flight they are quite similar to to some flies, such as the St Mark's Flies, appearing in spring as well. Males can be told apart from the females by looking at the antennae. Males have wire-like antennes, which are the same size just about everywhere. Females have antennae which get slighter thicker going upwards.

The Large Rose Sawfly is on the wing in spring and early summer mainly. Depending on the temperatures most are seen from March to June. Like all Sawflies female Large Rose Sawflies are in possession of a little saw. With it they make rectangular cuts in the fresh shoots of the host plant. In the cut a bunch of eggs is being deposited. The larvae hatch quite quickly and move in a group to the freshly emerged leaves. Young larvae stay together for quite some time, capable of eating the entire shoot. Older larvae lead a more single life and eat from older leaves as well. The larvae are very similar to caterpillars and green with black dots and points. When they feel threatened they assume the so-called S-position. This can be seen in many other sawfly larvae as well. To pupate a firm whitish cocoon is spun near or in the soil. The cocoon actually has two covers. The inner one is smooth and firm. The outer cover has the design of a net. It is the pupa overwintering. The larvae are found on wild and cultivated roses.

The Large Rose Sawfly is a common species all over Britain. Usually it appears in small groups. The larvae have very many anemies and are usually quickly eaten bij bugs and their larvae. There are also a number of parasitic wasps highly interested in Large Rose Sawfly larvae and cocoons. Occassionally though numbers are very high indeed and a lot of damage can be done to roses. Even though some plants may be so heavily infested they die, this is quite exceptional. In most cases no action needs to be taken. The natural enemies appear within two weeks after the outbreak and will quickly limit the number of sawfly larvae.

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Arge cyanocrocea

Arge cyanocrocea

Bramble Sawfly Arge cyanocrocea

At first sight the Bramble Sawfly is very similar to the Large Rose Sawfly. It is blackish, except for the abdomen, which is yellowish orange. The difference is clear however looking at the legs. The Large Rose Sawfly has black legs entirely, or black legs with tiny yellow patches. The legs of the Bramble Sawfly are all colourful: reddish with some small black rings. The life cycle of both species is also rather identical, even though the Bramble Sawfly usually flies a bit later (May-July). The Bramble Sawfly also never appears in great numbers. And the larvae of the Bramble Sawfly are found on bramble and not on roses, of course.

The adults of all sawflies eat pollen and nectar from flowers. In these pictures a nice example of that. The two tiny beetles in some of the pictures are probably Varied Carpet Beetles (Anthrenus verbasci), belonging to the family of beetles called the Skin Beetles (Dermestidae).

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Athalia species

Athalia species

Athalia species

The Athalia species are extremely hard to tell apart. All species, of which some 10 species are present in Britain, are yellowish red and have a variable amount of black markings and light ringed legs. On the web you will find a lot of pictures of one particular species: the Turnip Sawfly, also known as the Coleseed Sawfly (Athalia rosae). With a number of these pictures the identification is doubtful, to say the least. Our animal could be a Turnip Sawfly as well, but we can not be sure at all. The animal was seen flying about in great numbers in April. This would indicate another species, for the Turnip Sawfly appears in May. The Turnip Sawfly regularly becomes a pest in Mustard and Cole, for it is fully specialised in Cole and other Crucifers.

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Pear Slug Caliroa cerasi

Pear Slug Caliroa cerasi

Pear Slug Caliroa cerasi

Many adult sawflies are short-lived and unknown. Adult Pear Slugs for instance are dull blackish and some 5mm long. They are very similar to flies, but actually do have two pairs of wings. They are not often seen and still less frequently noticed. The larvae are well known and sometimes do damage to fruit trees. They are a transparent kind of green and shaped like a small slug. The legs give them away though: slugs do not have legs at all. To look like a slug even more, the larvae produce a shiny, black substance in which they cover themselves. Mimicry now is perfect: even many humans seeing them think of slugs, hence their name.

The Pear Slug is double brooded in most of its area. The females saw a little cut in the underside of a leaf. In this cut a bunch of eggs is deposited. The eggs hatch after some three to four weeks. The small larvae move to the upperside of the leaf, where they commence eating it. Only the upper skin and the contents of the leaf are eaten. The lower skin and the main veins are kept intact. Affected leaves are extremely thin and lots of light comes through them. It looks like they are lacy. This is typical for sawfly or leaf mining insects infestations. The affected leaves soon turn brown and then drop off. The larvae need one month only to become fully grown. They drop to the ground and bury themselves into the soil, usually one or two inches, and pupate. The second generation overwinters as a pupa before emerging in early spring. Despite the name, Pear Slugs are frequently found on cherries as well.

With Pears and Cherries the Pear Slug has been transported all over the world. It may be found in Europe, Asia, Japan, Northern America, Southern America and New Zealand. The damage by the first generation is small and doesn't lead to trouble. It is the second brood (September in the northern hemisphere) that does most damage. Some trees are completely defoliated and will loose their fruit prematurely. Yet, as long as the number of larvae is small there is no reason to kill them. Besides there are very effective chemical pesticides. Most damage is done in alternative and biological agriculture, where no chemicals are used.

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Dolerus spec

Dolerus spec

Dolerus spec

Sawflies are among the most difficult insects to identify. Actually there are not that many biologists that research this group. So it is a hell of a job getting a specimen correctly identified. Take the animal on this page for instance. It belongs to the genus Dolerus. In the Benelux there are some 30 species within this genus and many of them are entirely black. World wide this is an extremely complicated genus, comprised of some 200 species, including some intricate species complexes. Experts tell the species apart by examining the females saw or the males genitals. Usually a microscope is needed to see the minute differences. We did not kill our specimen, so nobody had any chance of examining the animal on this page under a microscope. Meaning we will never know the exact species. Most Dolerus species fly in early spring (April and May). They do not fly very well and rather slowly and look a lot like the numerous Fever Flies one sees in spring also. The larvae feed on grasses.

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Privet Sawfly Macrophya punctumalbum

Privet Sawfly Macrophya punctumalbum

Privet Sawfly Macrophya punctumalbum

At first sight the Privet Sawfly is very similar to the Large Rose Sawfly. It is blackish, except for the abdomen, which is yellowish orange. The difference is clear however looking at the legs. The Large Rose Sawfly has black legs entirely, or black legs with tiny yellow patches. The legs of the Privet Sawfly are all colourful: reddish with some small black rings. The life cycle of both species is also rather identical, even though the Privet Sawfly usually flies a bit later (May-July). The Privet Sawfly also never appears in great numbers. And the larvae of the Privet Sawfly are found on bramble and not on roses, of course.

The adults of all sawflies eat pollen and nectar from flowers. In these pictures a nice example of that. The two tiny beetles in some of the pictures are probably Varied Carpet Beetles (Anthrenus verbasci), belonging to the family of beetles called the Skin Beetles (Dermestidae).

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Iris Sawfly Rhadinoceraea micans

Iris Sawfly Rhadinoceraea micans

Iris Sawfly Rhadinoceraea micans

The larva of the Iris Sawfly may be as long as 50 mm and does look like the caterpillar of a White. It can be found on the Yellow Iris exclusively, including the ones in your garden along the pond. The eggs are deposited in May and the larvae eat a lot in just a few months time. By the end of July most of them seem gone. Actually they dug a hole in the groud, made a cocoon in there and remain there till next spring. Especially when appearing in large numbers the Iris Sawfly can do a lot of damage to your plants. The bigger larvae will eat the flowerbuds as well, worsening the damage.

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Sawfly larva

Sawfly larva

Sawfly larva Symphyta species

The larva depicted at this page is a big one too. It is a cheeky one as well, for in our garden we found it eating our daisies and it even preferred the flowers over the leaves! Being *****, wrinkled and seemingly transparent it is not the most beautiful animal in our garden. We looked everywhere and even had some experts looking everywhere, but no one has been able to identify it. So mail us, if you have an idea what species this might be...

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Nematus miliaris

Nematus miliaris

Nematus miliaris

This is just one of three species found mainly on Sallow. It is however sometimes reported feeding on Poplar. The adults are rarely seen and we have no idea how they look like. Most Nematus species however are similar to the Arge species, only slightly bigger. In the Nematus genus most members are black with orange or yellow or entirely black.

The larvae however are quite characteristic and more often seen. They are green with a pattern of black dots and stripes. There is a yellowish band behind the head and the tail is yellowish too. In older larvae the yellow spreads over several segments. The head is black. They live together, often in great numbers. The leaves of the host plant are eaten from the sides on which the larvae sit. The larvae of Nematus miliaris also assume the well known S-position when they feel threatened. Hundreds of animals, if not thousands can sometimes be seen on one tree alone. The larvae pupate underground. Usually there are two broods a year. The adults are on the wing in May and June and again, after a short break, in July and August. The eggs are deposited in the skin of twigs of the woodplant in two bunches, shaped as rings around the twig.

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Sawfly larva Nematus species?

Sawfly larva Nematus species?

Nematus species

Many Sawfly larvae are greenish speckled with black dots and lines and bold. The larvae on this page are very similar to other Sawfly larvae indeed, but when you look closely you'll notice some differences: the pattern of the black dots is different and it has a yellow head. We have no idea what species they represent, but larvae of Arge, Tenthredo and Nematus species all are more or less like this.... One of the Rose Sawflies, including Arge pagana, is a good candidate, though. Should you be able to tell us which species it is, please let us know!

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Tenthredo mesomela

Tenthredo mesomela

Tenthredo mesomela

Sawflies belonging to the genus Tenthredo are all rather big, elongated animals. They are very similar to the members of some other genera, such as Tenthredopsis and Rhogogaster. Most of these animals are black, black with yellow or green or entirely yellow or green. Experts can tell the members of the genera Rhogogaster and Tenthredo apart, by looking at the position of the eyes. Tenthredopsis species have longer antennae compared to the others. Tenthredo mesomela is a very common species over most of Britain. The name is very often spelled Tenthredo mesomelas. Both names have a similar number of hits using Google. We use Tenthredo mesomela for that's how it is written in the official name list of animals in the Netherlands.

Tenthredo mesemola is a big species, composed of two colours only: black and green. The upper side is black, except for some spots near head and neck and the shield. Even the upper side of the legs are black. On the front legs this often is less apparent, as the line of black is very thin indeed. The underside of the animal is green entirely. The larvae are found on various plants, Salix species in particular. The adults are often seen eating nectar and pollen on white flowers. But the adults also hunt for small flies which they suck on. This is remarkable for a Sawfly species, for almost all are strict vegetarians.

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Figwort Sawfly Tenthredo scrophulariae

Figwort Sawfly Tenthredo scrophulariae

Figwort Sawfly Tenthredo scrophulariae

There are a number of black-and-yellow Tenthredo species and most of them are very hard to identify. Luckily the Figwort Sawfly is the big exception. It is an unmistakable species, because of the all orange antennae. In most other species the antennae are at least partly blackish. Never try to identify these sawflies by studying the yellow on the abdomen. Some animals, like the one in the pictures, have broad yellow bands. One might even think the abdomen is all yellow. Others have very small bands, giving the impression of being almost entirely black. The Figwort Sawfly reaches a length of well over 10mm and is quite an impressive sawfly indeed.

The larvae live on Figwort and are quite striking: light greenish blue with a number of smaller and larger black dots. Like all sawfly larvae they are strict vegetarians. This does not apply to the adult animals. They are carnivores mainly, hunting small flies and other insects. This is a common species all over Europe.

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Tenthredopsis scutellaris

Tenthredopsis scutellaris

Tenthredopsis scutellaris

We can't tell you anything about the Sawfly on this page, for we don't know what species it is, exactly. One thing is for sure, though. It belongs to the Tenthredopsis genus. In Holland this is a genus comprised of some 7 members. Some are very similar indeed. Most are rather large, elongated, black and yellowish red. They do look like a number of other Sawflies, especially those belonging to the genera Tenthredo en Rhogogaster, even though the members of the latter genus are usually green. The difference is easy to spot. Of these genera Tenthredopsis has the longest antennae by far.

We consulted two experts on Sawflies. The first was the British expert John Grearson. He did confirm this is a Tenthredopsis species indeed, but also knows it to be a non-British species. And as his knowledge of Continental Tenthredopsis species was somewhat limited, he wouldn't dare to suggest a name. Next expert was Dr. Andreas Taeger. He confirmed this was a Tenthredopsis species and believes it is one of the following four species: Tenthredopsis tarsata, Tenthredopsis scutellaris, Tenthredopsis litterata or Tenthredopsis ornata. Tenthredopsis scutellaris was on his mind, but he had to admit this was no more than a gamble and no certainty at all. So we consequently approached Dr. Ad Mol, the Dutch Sawfly expert and he states he agrees with Taeger: this most likely is Tenthredopsis scutellaris. So we put the animal here using that name, but not giving you absolute certainty.

As it turns out Tenthredopsis scutellaris is the most common Tenthredopsis species in our country. It is on the wing from mid-May to the end of June. The larvae can be found on a number of grasses.

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Rhogogaster genistae

Rhogogaster genistae

Rhogogaster genistae

The larva of Rhogogaster genistae can be identified easily. It lives on Broom exclusively, is rather light below and greyish blue on top. We have not been able to find one single picture of an adult. The internet turns blank and so do the books we have. Even information about this species is very hard to find. Fact is that males are very rare indeed. It is suggested this species partly reproduces parthenogenetically. This sawfly is also known as Cytisogaster genistae. It is doubtful though whether this new genus will be long-lived, for apparently lot of scientists do not agree in using a new genus.

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