Parasitic wasp

Another day of exams for Ben, with two Maths papers back-to-back this afternoon. While he was suffering, Chris and I went to Orton Pit and surveyed four more rather boring ponds. On the way back I photographed this male parasitic wasp, which goes by the name of Gasteruption jaculator, one of many feeding on Hogweed.  The female visits the nests of various solitary bees or wasps, and will push her ovipositor into the nest, depositing her own eggs on or near to the eggs of the host, on hatching they will feed on the grubs of the host as well as on stored food.