Bubble blowing insects - macro exploration

A few notes of appreciation and thank you's:

- George has advised that he believes the identification of a tiny worm in a tube is a casemaking clothes moth (Tinea pellionella).  Here is the link.  http://zanephotoblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/open-sky-port-elizabeth-weird-bug.html

- Peter, Magda, Firefly (Jonker) and others for commenting and making this blog interesting.  It is one thing to find and photograph insects, but to share the images and receive positive feedback is another.  Makes it all worthwhile.

- Elettra -  for some interesting aspects and photographs of European life.  You may require google to translate. -http://elettra-admaiora.blogspot.com/

- Sciarada see the link http://animamundi-sciarada.blogspot.com/ for some interesting aspects and photographs of European life.  You may require google to translate.

Many insects display bubble blowing characteristics.  Flies are probably one of the more common insect bubble blowers.  I am not always sure if the insect is eating or blowing a bubble.  I have seen ants eat / drink nectar or water on leaves and then proceed to blow a bubble.  Simon has advised that it is a mechanism to aid digestion as the oxygen in the bubble is absorbed.  

This ant had drank liquid from a leaf and I was on hand to capture the bubble being formed.  A dead flash or almost dead batteries almost prevented me form getting this and another 2 images.

Simon is the butterfly expert.  I do not see too many butterflies, but when an opportunity presents itself I will take the photo.  See Simon's link at Afromacro http://afromacro.wordpress.com/

Here is a meadow white butterfly (pontia helice)

I have avoided posting spiders where I could.  Too many on the harddrive now.  This tiny jumping spider has a beautiful upper abdomen and posed for me.  Size was about 4mm from top of head to end of abdomen.

A green lacewing - I have included this photograph as this lacewing has this luminous yellow streak running from its head towards its abdomen.  Not sure why - anyone have the answer?

Bubble blowing wasp - a really tiny wasp - also 4 or 5mm long from head to end of tail.  I have been told by Sean at http://www.vuurvliegie.net that it could be a sawfly (sawflies, bees, wasps and ants all belong to a larger order Hymenoptera).  This sawfly was so tiny I almost it, but the tiny glistening bubble gave it away and drew my attention.

Tiphiid wasp - excuse the blurred head - I have included this to illustrate the long antennae on these very docile wasps.

Remember to click any photograph to enlarge.