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Scolia hirta
Female Scolia hirta foraging on Marrubium peregrinum (horehound) flowers.
Mountain rocky meadow.
Scolia hirta is a species belonging to the family Scoliidae subfamily Scoliinae. It is present in most of mediterranean and central Europe, in East Palearctic ecozone, in the Near East and in North Africa. They can be encountered from July through September feeding on flowers, with a preference for flowers appearing cyan or blue to bees eyes and for composite flowers or aggregated inflorescences. These massive solitary wasps dig in search of larvae of beetles (Cetoniidae species, especially Cetonia aurata, as well as Scarabaeidae species). Then they parasitize the larvae and lay eggs in them for feeding their offspring.
Spotted on Aug 27, 2017
Submitted on Aug 28, 2017
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