Imagine being so teeny tiny that you are an endoparasite on *leafhoppers* Leafhoppers are already in the "so small they go unnoticed" category, and you're just a little pest on a minuscule thing.
Of course the group that's most likely to choose this life? The wasps Wasps are some of the smallest insects. There are "fairy flies" that are parasites of the eggs of certain insects.
They are so small that air is "thick" to them and their wings have feathered edges are are oar shaped.
Some fairly flies are so tiny that their neurons are cells without nuclei. They got rid of them to save space. They can still think though... presumably the tiniest little thoughts.
Photo by Alexey Polilov, 2012
They lay their eggs inside of the eggs of 1-2mm long crop pests.
And... read the article to see what the males are like... they are even smaller somehow, but it's ... disturbing.
Last year I got a little wasp problem when wasps decided that my balcony's wooden ceiling would be a perfect spot for a nest. The nest apparently was never finished and I found large pieces of it on the floor but I still contacted maintenance to ask what to do.
The maintenance came to visit and didn't find any nest, so that's good. I was told that I should put a crocheted fake wasp nest on my balcony, near the spot wasps favor, because they refuse to built a nest on someone else's territory. Better yet, fill the nest with newspaper because it smells like a wasp nest.
I found some handmade nests online and I'm going to give it a try! Many of the sellers said that they and their friends and family have been using the fake nests successfully for years in home, summer cottages, outdoor buildings etc.
Here are some patterns (in English) for crafty people.
Sharing this here because I didn't even know about such a solution! I hope it helps anyone who wants to keep unwanted wasps away from certain parts of their home and yard.
Drawing of the day: Megarhyssa greenei. Bonus mini collage of my favourite non-cartoon wasp drawings. I plan on adding more as I go along. For now, this is only a sample. Drawing wasps is keeping me sane during these dark times. Which one is your favourite?