Species: Smooth Pea Gall Wasp (Diplolepis sp.)
Family: Gall Wasps (CYNIPIDAE)
Category: Insects (Other)
Location: Widespread
A. Insects (Other)
More extensive information on insects can be found in a separate blog post.
B. Gall Wasps (CYNIPIDAE)
Gall wasps are wasps that induce galls on plants, which aid the development of their larvae. They are generally small insects.
Galls develop in the tissue of plants after the female insect lays eggs. After the eggs hatch into larvae, the galls provide nourishment for them and protection of them.
C. Smooth Pea Gall Wasp (Diplolepis sp.)
The cynipid wasp Diplolepis nervosa or by Diplolepis eglanteriae is responsible for this Smooth Rose Pea Gall. The wasp lays an egg on the leaves of the Dog Rose (and other wild roses) and the larvae cause the formation of these galls. The gall will separate from the leaf before leaf fall in autumn and will lie in the leaf litter. The grub that's inside the gall will emerge as a small adult wasp. They are small wasps, only 4 millimetres long at the most, and one is very unlikely to see them.
This species - along with mites - are exceptions to the species listed on this website in that we cannot show their photographs directly, but we know that the galls that they have created are proof of their earlier presence.
Images
Smooth Pea Gall Wasp
Inside these miniature apples will be found the developing grub of a gall wasp, either Diplolepis nervosa or Diplolepis eglanteriae. These wasps are small wasps, only 4 millimetres long at the most, and one is very unlikely to see them.
