scoliid wasp

insect

Also known as: Scoliidae

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Last updated

July 13, 2026

Quick Summary

Scoliid wasps are a type of solitary wasp belonging to the family Scoliidae. These wasps are primarily parasites of beetle grubs found in the soil. The female scoliid wasp locates a grub, paralyzes it with her sting, and then lays an egg on it. The developing wasp larva feeds on the grub, consuming it from the outside. Unlike social wasps, scoliid wasps do not build nests or live in colonies; they are solitary hunters.123

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Hymenoptera
Annotated classification
Family Scoliidae (scoliid wasps) Large, hairy, black wasps often with a yellow band or bands on abdomen; parasites of scarab-beetle larvae. Superfamily Tiphioidea Hairy wasps with a well-developed sting; females of some species are wingless. Family Tiphiidae (tiphiid wasps)
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Family Scoliidae (scoliid wasps) Large, hairy, black wasps often with a yellow band or bands on abdomen; parasites of scarab-beetle larvae. Superfamily Tiphioidea Hairy wasps with a well-developed sting; females of some species are wingless. Family Tiphiidae (tiphiid wasps)
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wasp
…the tiphiid wasps (family Tiphiidae), scoliid wasps (family Scoliidae), and velvet ants (family Mutillidae) in the superfamily Vespoidea. Cuckoo wasps are mostly brilliant metallic-green or -blue in color and often have intricate sculpturing on the exoskeleton. They lay their eggs in the nests of solitary bees or wasps. The larvae…
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…the tiphiid wasps (family Tiphiidae), scoliid wasps (family Scoliidae), and velvet ants (family Mutillidae) in the superfamily Vespoidea. Cuckoo wasps are mostly brilliant metallic-green or -blue in color and often have intricate sculpturing on the exoskeleton. They lay their eggs in the nests of solitary bees or wasps. The larvae…
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