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Here is a bee-like animal that I discovered in two different areas of central Florida. One is at the Wekiva River Basin State Parks in Apopka Florida, and the other is at my house in Ocala Florida. In both situations the animals were using and very interested in small openings about the size of the animal. At the park, there were as many as 25-50 individuals swarming in and out of these openings (I am not sure of whether they created them or another animal, but they were certainly not rotted wood openings and were made by an organism. At my house, there was only this single individual seen, and it was trying to use an opening into our cement block house which I had made previously with a screw. It was actually in some sort of conflict with another wasp-like animal to use the small opening when I discovered it. Anyway here is a photo of that animal at my house. The small opening is seen in the background. Any idea of the species?
Thanks, Rick
Rick Owen, Park Biologist
Wekiva River Basin State Parks
Apopka, Fl

Hi Rick,
The wasp in your photo is a Cuckoo Wasp in the family Chrysididae. Species are nearly impossible to distinguish from one another. They lay their eggs in the nests of host insects, usually wasps and bees. The social behavior you describe does not seem consistant, but perhaps a swarm of Cuckoo Wasps were attacking a colony of other insects, or perhaps you witnessed a hatching of a brood.

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