Huge Sicilian wasp
August 12, 2009
Hi experts, I’m hoping you’ll be able to tell me what this beast is. I’ve only seen it dead as I fished it out of a pool in Western Sicily a couple of weeks ago and in any case I don’t think I’d have dared get close to it alive.
Apologies for the quality, I only had my phone by way of camera and it began to stink and was covered in ants after an hour out of the pool so I had to abandon it.
The body was smooth and hairless like a wasp’s but the abdomen ended bluntly instead of in the typical tapered point. There was a brown ovipositor or sting sticking out, almost a millimeter thick.
Rizla packet included for scale. The bug was almost 2 inches in length / across the wingspan.
I’m hoping you’ll tell me it was a wasp as I’ve been scaring friends with the picture ever since!
Many thanks.
Steve Lawson
Paceco, Western Sicily

Mammoth Wasp

Hi Steve,
Just two weeks ago, we posted some photos of a Mammoth Wasp, Scolia flavifrons, from Italy.  Here is information we found from the Wildside Holidays website:  “This is a very large solitary wasp, the female reaching up to 4.5cm whereas the male is a little smaller. This species appears in warm weather during late May, June, July and August. They hold no danger to humans despite their size and black / yellow warning colours. They feed eagerly on flower nectar and this is the best time to view them.  The larger female can be told apart by her yellow face and short antennae. The male has a black head and longer antennae. Both have two yellow bands on their abdomens which can sometimes be divided to form 4 spots, which is more evident on the female in these pictures.  You may see several of these wasps flying around decaying tree stumps, they have a purpose here. They are searching for larvae of a particular beetle. Inside the rotten wood may be young of the Rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes nasicornis) [See image below]. The female Mammoth wasp once she has discovered the huge larvae will sting one to paralyze it and then lay her egg on the outer skin. On hatching, the larvae of the Mammoth wasp will eat into its host thereby killing it. The larva of the wasp then creates a cocoon near to the meal remains. It will stay in this cocoon over winter and hatch out once the spring weather warms sufficiently.“

Swarms of this insect just showed up!
August 11, 2009
Dear Bugman,
These flying insects just showed up in our backyard in South Jersey. The neighbors recently did a lot of landscaping, its early August and has been very hot / humid. They swarm during the morning / early afternoon and then we have no idea where they go? What are they and what can we do about them / will they ruin our vegetable garden? Should I be worried since my dog plays all day in the backyard? The picture is attached, sorry it isn’t super clear.
Sven
Haddonfield, NJ

Digger Wasp: Campsomeris dubia

Ed Note:  We quickly glanced at Sven’s blurry photo and wrote back with this incorrect ID.
Non-aggressive Cicada Killer

They seem to be much smaller than that and have some slight fuzz (orange-ish) on the lower part…can that still be a cicada killer?

Oops. Our mistake.  Scolia dubia, a Digger Wasp, is also a non-aggressive species and should not be killed unnecessarily, especially since it preys upon Japanese Beetles.  According to BugGuide:  “Food  Adults take nectar, may also feed on juices from beetle prey.  Larvae a parasite of the green June beetle and Japanese beetle.
Life Cycle  Males and females have a courtship dance, flying close to the ground in a figure-8 or S pattern. Females burrow into ground in search of grubs, especially those of the Green June Beetle, Cotinis, and the Japanese Beetle. She stings it and often burrows farther down, then constructs a cell and lays an egg on the host. Larva pupates and overwinters in a cocoon within the body of the host. One generation per year in North, more in South.”  This species is also called the Blue Winged Wasp.

Thank you so much — you’re on the money — have a great day.