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Some rather better pictures of the European hornets (Vespa crabro; 🇩🇪 Hornisse) feeding on our figs this evening.

These two were slightly different in size, but I'm not expert enough to distinguish between queens, workers, & males.

BTW, hornets are strictly protected in Germany, so they're welcome to the figs 🤷‍♂️🙂

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A pair of large hornets feeding on a decaying fig. The one on the left is facing upwards and is in focus. The other one is on the bottom right, and is out of focus. The hornets have yellow faces with a lot of rusty pink towards the top, large C-shaped compound eyes, and a trio of smaller black ocelli. The antennae are a yellowish-pink. The thorax is rusty pink and black, with a strong V-shape in pink on the top. There is pink again on the first tergite of the abdomen, with a strong yellow and black pattern thereafter. There are many fine hairs on the body, and the wings are clear amber. The legs are legs are black towards the top, yellower further down. Just one of the hornets hanging upside down with its head stuck into a hole in the fig, seen side on in the top left. The black side of its thorax is clearly seen, as is the black and yellow abdomen. There are also a couple of green bottle flies on the fig as well, to the lower right. A somewhat closer view of one of the hornets seen side on, showing its head and multiple eyes clearly, as well as the many fine hairs on the head, thorax, and abdomen. Another view of the two hornets feeding together. The one in the top left is now facing away, so seen from behind showing its black and yellow abdomen, slightly out of focus. The one in the bottom right is now in focus, seen from in front and above.

#photography #macrophotography #bugoftheday #heidelberg #insectsofmastodon #backgardenentomology

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Caricamento...

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@markmccaughrean@mastodon.social I've been going about my search for fig wasps all wrong… ;-)

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