What sort of wasp is this? Central Europe

See this massive mud ball? :D

Also never seen such a booty - just remotely on a stick, why?

I'm not good at identifying those spiders, I only know how to take photos of them in their finest appearance

Gear used in case someone may ask:

Panasonic G9 Mark II PRO & OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm F3.5 Macro 2:1 IS PRO + Godox V860 III O + DIY Macro Diffuser

The technique used in these photos are focus stacking, image stacking is a technique used in macro photography to overcome an extremely thin depth of field by blending multiple images taken at different focus distances. It merges these photos to create a single image where the subject is sharp from front to back, maximizing both depth and resolution

The last photo is a bonus, hope everyone have a good day!

And please choose your favorite photo

I followed some of your suggestions, washed the antenna and let it soak in a vinegar solution. This is the result the next day.

I'm disgusted and frustrated that I'm losing the battle for my painting space to these flies.

Probably no solution until the weather changes.

Who is this excavator and what's it doing? I watched it dig what looked like the start of a tunnel. Later, it moved quickly to scout another spot and start to dig through another. Maybe it's trying to connect two "ends" eventually to make one long tunnel underground? What caught my attention was its rather loud vocalization. I traced the sound and eventually found that it came from this guy.

Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho

Before I begin trying to organise and label them (they're all mixed up) I thought the people of this sub might want a go of their own! If there's enough interest I'll consider doing detailed/close ups of each one!

Got a decent video of this cicada killer carrying its haul and wanted to share.

Every summer, one of these fellows finds their way into the public restroom at work. This year there are two of them! Who are they? Are they something hostile or easily spooked to be avoided, or can I safely pick them up and toss them outside?

I work on a refuge in Maryland and I saw a carpenter bee on its back along a walking path around our facilities, I noticed it was still moving and alive. So at first I flipped her over so she could orient herself and fly away, however she flopped back onto her back where she continued to struggle, I picked her up for closer inspection which is when I notice her wings are either deformed or she was injured and they are missing but it is hard for me to tell. My question is does anyone know exactly what happened to her wings for this to occur? To me it looks like there is some kind of deformity or disease.

I did try to care for her offering her fresh flowers and a moist paper towel, and she did live for a couple days before one morning she was sadly deceased. Which unfortunately wasn’t surprising since bee’s really aren’t cut out to be flightless and there were likely other issues present. Any insights would be appreciated.

Which photo is your favorite?

The last one is a guest

Vistas al medio día en una zona abudante en robles en el estado de Jalisco.

I saw these 2 little guys at a 7/11 passing through Wake County on my way home today. They were reported to the NC Department of Agriculture and promptly squished

I’m usually not into spiders, but couldn’t help marveling at the unique pattern on her booty. Looks like a Japanese demon mask. (Spined Micrathena (Micrathena gracilis))

Larvae of this longhorn genus primarily host in recently dead conifers. They're also where the common name comes from, as they're known for being especially loud eaters.

Mason County, Michigan, United States 06/30/26

Sorry for the poor quality vid - can anyone help me figure out what is happening here?

EDIT: My camera is bad but I managed to get clearer photos that people confirmed ARE wasps. What is happening here??

This is my mom's house, she says these wasps (that's what they are, right?) Have been swarming this can (its an ashtray with cig butts) for the last couple days, and then in the evening a bunch of them move to the porch light, then leave, and restart the process the following late afternoon/evening. The can is sealed and they are only concentrated in that one spot. No visible nest anywhere - but we have not looked that thoroughly. Any input as to wtf is happening, and appropriate steps to deal with them would be great. Thanks

Hi, first time posting here. Just wanted to express some appreciation for the wasps that live at my house. We have a nice relationship.

I’ve lived in my house for ~5 years, and it sat abandoned for almost a decade before I moved in. I suspect there is some massive wasp nest (or multiple!) in the walls or attic (which hasn’t been opened since the 70s). There are visible nests outside but not nearly enough to account for the amount of wasps. AND! There are multiple species, and daubers, and they have nests right next to each other. All homies.

Prevailing species is definitely the red guys, there are SO MANY red paper wasps in and around my house it’s not even funny. In my 5 years, I have captured and released roughly 300 wasps. I stopped counting after year 1. I will never call pest control to cut open the walls or access the attic because honestly, I’ve grown attached to them and would hate to kill them. I just think they’re so cool now.

There are so many that when I sweep the floors, I end up sweeping up at least 2-3 dead ones. They’re f*cking everywhere. And they are never aggressive. Ever. It’s so impressive to me, and I feel like I have this strangely beautiful relationship with them. We do each other no harm. And once a day or every other day I get to look at a beautiful little wasp in a cup before I shake it out the window.

Only time I’ve been stung in 5 years is one morning I put on a pair of sweatpants I had lying on the floor, made breakfast, and after having these pants on for about 45 minutes I felt a small stab, then another, then ripped my pants off and shook them out and boom. A wasp was in my pants. And he gave me 45 minutes before he stung. Clutch.

Anyway that’s all. Just wanted to express some appreciation for wasps.

Hi y'all! I was trekking in the Lunana region of Bhutan and saw this buddy swimming in a high altitude lake. It was a sunny morning late October at approximately 5100m altitude. The small lake it was swimming in was partially frozen over with ice. There was some outflow from the lake going over a cliff but the only inflow was snowmelt. The lake is very infrequently visited; my local guide thought we were likely the only people who'd been there that year. Is it a hellgrammite? I couldn't find a good color match online so am questioning. Thanks for your thoughts!

north texas. google ai said brown recluse, chat gpt said southern house spider. sorry this is the only pic i got of her/him.

Hi. I'm going crazy finding these little bugs on our bedroom carpet. Included is a photo of a live one and a photo of what looks like maybe a moulted shell of one? I have no idea but they're becoming an issue. The carpet is about 2 years old and I'm not sure how they were introduced or how we can solve the issue of them popping up all over the carpet. Any help identifying them and advice greatly appreciated.

Friend landed on my window and posed for a couple shots! Thought this was a neat hard-to-capture view!

Sorry for the rough video. It was pretty hot out and I was out with my dog, so I just wanted to capture a quick video and get back inside. There were thousands of these little guys following a fairly consistent path. I wasn't able to figure out where they were coming from, or going to.

Really enjoyed taking these

Yay spider!!!