Cynipid Gall Wasp
images - I. Lindsey
Cynipid gall wasps are very small and non-threatning. They emerge from their gall homes in late fall as mature adults looking for a mate.

Below are a few nice images of the Urchin Gall wasp.

Robert Withey, a trail guide at Kaweah Oaks Preserve and an amateur videographer, captured these images on video. These galls were collected in October, 1999 just as the wasps were to emerge from their purplish/pink homes. Within just a few minutes they were getting their first view of the outside world from inside a Discovery Scope plastic chamber. A class of local students observed this amazing act of nature up close and personal! Of course, the insects were released after everyone had a chance to see them. 

Thanks Robert for these wonderful images.
Keep up the good work.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Discovery Scope and chambers available through Edmund Scientifics
below are a few articles for further study

Encyclopedia Smithsonian: Insect and Mite Galls 
Learning About Insect and Mite Galls

Colorado State University
Insect and Mite Galls

Texas A & M
Gall-Making Insects and Mites

 
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