The commonest inhabitants of the sandy heath are the Beewolf Wasps (Philanthus triangulum) which paralyse Honey Bees and bring them back to their burrows for the larvae to feed on. A detailed search revealed the beautiful little cuckoo wasp - identified on-line as Hedychrum nobile or H.niemalai.
There are also lots of Pantaloon Bees around digging and provisioning burrows and also large numbers of restless males buzzing around and resting on surrounding shrubs and flowers. Also recorded Epeolus spp with pink eyes
Astata boops, a Dipteran, preys on Green Shieldbugs and is fairly common while the Red-banded Sand Wasp paralyses quite large moth caterpillars and can have problems getting them back to their burrow.
The Common Spiny Digger Wasp Oxybelus uniglumis impales prey on its rear end. The Spider wasp excavates a nest burrow in loose sand. After capture, the spider is temporarily buried whilst a suitable nest burrow is excavated. The spider recovers partially after interment and wanders across the surface of the closed cell until it is finally killed by the wasp larva feeding on its abdomen. The silk laid down by the spider during this period binds together the sand grains and maintains the structure of the cell in the loose sand.
