Identification
A very small, delicate black wasp with a long, slender abdomen, sometimes with varying amounts of red markings. The head is set on a long “neck,” that connects the head to the thorax. The hind tibia are swollen. These two characteristics separate it from Ichneumon Wasps. Females have a long ovipositor which is about the same length as the wasp. The size of the female is approximately 1 1/2 inches with the ovipositor. Males look like females without the ovipositor.
This wasp is probably rare in Fontenelle Forest and Neale Woods. Females can be seen in mid-summer to early fall nectaring on Goldenrod and flowers of the Parsnip family, such as Queen Anne’s Lace.
Females lay eggs inside the cells of solitary bees and wasps nesting in plant stems or wood. The ovipositor is not used for drilling into wood as in some species of parasitic wasps such as Ichneumons and Horntails. There is considerable difference among species in this genus in the method of parasitism with the larva of some eating the host egg, others consuming the host larva and some eating the host food source. There is only one genus with 15 species in North America.
The content of NatureSearch is provided by dedicated volunteer Naturalists of Fontenelle Forest who strive to provide the most accurate information available. Contributors of the images retain their copyrights. The point of contact for this page is: Loren Padelford.