Blue Winged Wasp

Subject:  Wild Garlic Pollinator Wasp
Geographic location of the bug:  Virginia Beach, VA
Date: 09/10/2017
Time: 10:31 AM EDT
Hello Bugman (or woman)! Captured this beautiful wasp enjoying the pollen from our garden this weekend. Could you possibly identify? Thanks so much again for your great website and non-stop education!
How you want your letter signed:  Buzz Buzz Buzz

Dear Buzz,
Your wasp, Scolia dubia, is commonly called a Blue Winged Wasp or Digger Wasp, according to BugGuide which also states:  “Adults take nectar, may also feed on juices from beetle prey. Larvae are parasites of scarab beetles, mainly Jne beetles and also the introduced Japanese beetle” and “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 Cotinis and Popillia japonica. 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.”