Wasps

Portret wasp, made with magnification factor 2 and f/16.

Small Cynipoidea wasp on dandelion, size around 1.5 mm, made with magnification factor 8 and f/8.

A portrait of the common cuckoo wasp (Chrysis ignata) made with magnification factor 4 and f/14, using a Canon 7D and the Canon macrolens MP-E 65 mm/f2.8. The insect below is a cuckoo wasp. They are parasites just like the cuckoo bumble bees, only worse. Instead of being fed by their host like the cuckoo bumble bees, they feed on the larvae of their host. In Belgium and The Netherlands there are over fourty species of cuckoo wasps and all have beautiful metallic colours. Most species specialize on a cerain host, but the Common Cuckoo Wasp (also known as the Rubytail) is not very specific: it uses all kinds of bees and wasps to let the larvae feed on (source: Garden Safari).

Eye of a hornet, made with magnification 5 and f/13 using a Canon 7D and a Canon MP-E 65mm/f2.8. The size was around 30-35 mm. The European hornet Vespa crabro, commonly known simply as the "hornet", is the largest European eusocial wasp. The queen measures 25 to 50 mm (1–2 in) long; males and workers are smaller. In males, as in most members of the Aculeata, the antennae have 13 segments, while in females there are only 12; also as in other aculeates, the male abdomen has seven visible segments, while the female has six; females possess an ovipositor modified into a sting which is not barbed (source: Wikipedia). This species is rather aggressive around food sources such as lilac bushes and will sting without warning. They are also known to be very defensive of their hive, therefore care must be taken when in its proximity. Its sting is quite painful with the pain and swelling known to persist for several days. As with most stinging insects, European hornets will sting in self-defense when grabbed or stepped on.