Andy Sands / Resin Bee (Heriades truncorum) sealing the end of a nesting tube in a garden Bee hotel with resin, Hertfordshire, England, UK, June

Andy Sands / Resin bee (Heriades truncorum) this small Bee uses resin to seal her nest cells until recently a rare species of lowland heath they can now be found nesting in garden bee hotels across southern Englan...

Andy Sands / Resin Bee (Heriades truncorum) In flight approaching garden bee hotel the distinctive yellow pollen brush is clearly visible, Hertfordshire, England, UK, June

Kim Taylor / Cuckoo bee (Nomada ruficornis) entering burrow of Mining Bee (Andrena bimaculata). Surrey, England,

Kim Taylor / Ruby-tailed wasp (Chrysis ignita) feeding on Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) Surrey, England, July.

Kim Taylor / Ruby-tailed wasp (Chrysis ignita) feeding on Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) Surrey, England, July.

Andy Sands / Chrysid wasp (Chrysis ignita) parasitic cuckoo wasp on Corn marigold flower, Hertfordshire, England, UK, July

Andy Sands / Chrysid wasp (Chrysis ignita) parasitic cuckoo wasp on dead tree, Oxfordshire, England, UK, August

Andy Sands / Cuckoo wasp (Hedychridium ardens) tiny wasp that is a cleptoparasite in the nest of other species, Cornwall, England, UK. June

Andy Sands / Cuckoo wasp (Elampus panzeri) tiny wasp that is a cleptoparasite in the nests of wasp of the genus Mimesa, Surrey, England, UK. June

Andy Sands / Chrysid wasp (Chrysis ignita) parasitic cuckoo wasp on old wall, Cornwall, England, UK, June

Andy Sands / Chrysid wasp (Chrysis ignita) parasitic cuckoo wasp on leaf, Cornwall, England, UK, June

Andy Sands / Ruby tailed jewel / Cuckoo wasp (Hedychridium roseum) cleptoparasite in the nests of the Digger wasp (Astata boops) Surrey, England, UK. June

Nick Upton / Ruby-tailed wasp / Cuckoo wasp / Jewel wasp (Hedychridium sp.) feeding on Rock samphire flowers (Crithmum maritimum) on a sandy beach, Algarve, Portugal, August 2013.

Nick Upton / Ruby-tailed wasp / Cuckoo wasp / Jewel wasp (Hedychrum sp.) feeding on Rock samphire flowers (Crithmum maritimum) on a sandy beach, Algarve, Portugal, August 2013.

Nick Upton / Ruby-tailed wasp / Cuckoo wasp / Jewel wasp (Hedychrum sp.) feeding on Rock samphire flowers (Crithmum maritimum) on a sandy beach, Algarve, Portugal, August 2013.

Andy Sands / Wasp (Hedychrum niemelai) a cleptoparasite in the nest of various Cerceris sp. wasps, on sandy soil, Surrey, England, UK. August.

Andy Sands / Wasp (Hedychrum niemelai) a cleptoparasite in the nest of various Cerceris sp. wasps, on sandy soil, Surrey, England, UK. August.

Andy Sands / Ruby Tailed Wasp (Hedychrum niemelai / rutilans), a cuckoo wasp that feeds its larvae on the food stored in burrows by other species. London, England, UK, August.

Andy Sands / Ruby Tailed Wasp (Hedychrum niemelai / rutilans), a cuckoo wasp that feeds its larvae on the food stored in burrows by other species. London, England, UK, August.

Andy Sands / Ruby Tailed Wasp (Hedychrum niemelai / rutilans), a cuckoo wasp that feeds its larvae on the food stored in burrows by other species. London, England, UK, August.

MYN / Piotr Naskrecki / Jewel / Cuckoo wasp (Chrysididae) feeding from flowers, Woburn, Massachusetts, USA, June. meetyourneighbours.net project

MYN / Piotr Naskrecki / Jewel / Cuckoo wasp (Chrysididae) feeding from flowers, Woburn, Massachusetts, USA, June. meetyourneighbours.net project

Nick Upton / Ruby-tailed / Cuckoo / Jewel wasp (Pseudospinolia marqueti) feeding on Cretan oregano (Origanum onites) flowers, Lesbos / Lesvos, Greece, June.

Nick Upton / Paper wasp (Polistes dominula) drinking moisture from cuckoo spit around developing froghopper (Cercopidae) nymph, Port Cros Island National Park, Hyeres archipelago, France, May.

Nick Upton / Paper wasp (Polistes dominula) approaching cuckoo spit around developing froghopper (Cercopidae) nymph, Port Cros Island National Park, Hyeres archipelago, France, May.

Alex Hyde / Ruby-tailed / Cuckoo wasp (Chrysis ignita) on wood. Derbyshire, June

Alex Hyde / Ruby-tailed / Cuckoo wasp (Chrysis ignita) on white background. Derbyshire, June

Nick Upton / Cuckoo wasp / Ruby tailed wasp (Hedychrum sp) grooming, Asturias, Spain

Andy Sands / Ruby tailed jewel / Cuckoo wasp (Hedychridium roseum) London, England, UK

Michael Durham / Cuckoo Wasp (Chrysididae) flying, Nature Conservancy's Zumwalt Prairie Preserve in northeast Oregon. This insect, like the cuckoo bird, lays her eggs in the nest of an unsuspecting host

PREMAPHOTOS / Ruby-tail cuckoo wasp (Chrysis ignita) feeding from Yarrow flowers, UK

Piotr Naskrecki / Cuckoo Wasp (Chrysididae), Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique

Rod Williams / Red-horned Nomad Bee (Nomada ruficornis) on bramble, Lewisham, London, England, UK, May.

Andy Sands / Cuckoo wasp (Chrysis ignita) sleeping wrapped around plant stem at dawn, Hertfordshire, England, UK. May. Focus stacked.

Andy Sands / Cuckoo wasp (Chrysis ignita) sleeping on plant stem after rain, Hertfordshire, England, UK. May. Focus stacked.

Nick Upton / Ruby-tailed cuckoo wasp (Chrysis viridula) inspecting the mud chimney built over the nest burrow of its host species, the Spiny mason wasp (Odynerus spinipes) on coastal sand bank, Cornwall, England,...

Nick Upton / Ruby-tailed cuckoo wasp (Pseudomalus auratus) searching for solitary wasp (Trypoxylon and Pemphredon sp.) nests to parasitise in an insect hotel, Wiltshire, UK. June.

Andy Sands / Cuckoo bee (Nomada ruficornis) roosting with its mandibles locked onto the end of a blade of grass, covered in dew. The bead of dew that has formed on the end of the grass is reflecting the grass be...

Roman Willi / Cuckoo wasp (Chrysis viridula) parasitizing a Potter wasp nest, Lucerne, Switzerland. June.

Paul Harcourt Davies / Ruby-tailed / Cuckoo wasp (Chrysis comparata) feeding on Rue flower (Ruta graveolens). Podere Montecucco, Orvieto, Italy. June.

Paul Harcourt Davies / Ruby-tailed / Cuckoo wasp (Chrysis comparata) on Mexican daisy / Fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus). Podere Montecucco, Orvieto, Italy. June.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Cuckoo wasp (Chrysis sp.) portrait, Audubon Insectarium, Louisiana, USA.Captive.

Nick Upton / Ruby-tailed cuckoo wasp (Pseudomalus auratus) resting outside insect hotel where its host, Wood borer wasps (Trypoxylon sp.) are nesting, Wiltshire, UK. July.

Andy Sands / Ruby-tailed wasp (Chrysis ignita) waiting on edge of bee hotel in garden to parasitise nest of Mason bee (Osmia sp) by laying eggs. Hertfordshire, England, UK, May.

Andy Sands / Ruby-tailed wasp (Chrysis ignita) curled up in defensive posture after being dragged from Silver leaf cutter bee (Megachile leachella) nest tunnel in sand dunes. Cornwall, England, UK. May. Focus...

Roman Willi / Cuckoo wasp (Chrysis viridula) laying its eggs in a potter wasp (Odynerus spinipes) nest before filling in the nest with dirt, Lucerne, Switzerland, June.

Jiri Lochman / Cuckoo wasp (Primeuchroeus sp.) on tree bark, Eungella National Park, Queensland, Australia. October (Chrysididae)

Nick Upton / Ruby-tailed cuckoo wasp (Chrysis viridula) searching for occupied nest burrows of its Potter wasp host species on a coastal sand bank, Cornwall, UK, June.

Nick Upton / Ruby-tailed cuckoo wasp (Chrysis viridula) inspecting mud chimney built over burrow of its host species, the Spiny mason wasp (Odynerus spinipes), coastal sand bank, Cornwall, UK. June.

Nick Upton / Ruby-tailed cuckoo wasp (Chrysis viridula) emerging from burrow of its host species, the Spiny mason wasp (Odynerus spinipes), coastal sand bank, Cornwall, UK. June.

Nick Upton / Two Ruby-tailed cuckoo wasps (Chrysis viridula) entering nest of their host species, the Spiny mason wasp (Odynerus spinipes), with incomplete mud chimney over the entrance, coastal sand bank, Cornwal...

Nick Upton / Ruby-tailed cuckoo wasp (Chrysis viridula) searching for burrows of its host species, a mason wasp (Odynerus sp.), coastal sand bank, Cornwall, UK. June.

Nick Upton / Ruby-tailed cuckoo wasp (Chrysis viridula) searching for occupied burrows of its host species, Mason wasp (Odynerus sp.), coastal sand bank, Cornwall, UK. June.

Nick Upton / Ruby-tailed cuckoo wasp (Chrysis viridula) entering mud chimney built over burrow of its host species, the Spiny mason wasp (Odynerus spinipes) as another cuckoo wasp flies past, coastal sand bank, Co...

Oliver Wright / Ruby tailed wasp (Chrysis ignita). Skipwith Common, Yorkshire, England, UK, June. Focus stacked image.

Oliver Wright / Ruby tailed wasp (Chrysis ignita). Skipwith Common, Yorkshire, England, UK, June. Focus stacked image.

Oscar Dewhurst / Cuckoo wasp (Chrysididae) on sand. Suffolk, UK. July.

Chris Mattison / Ruby-tailed wasp, (Chrysis ignita), a species of cuckoo-wasp,