Ensign Wasp

Description:

The Ensign Wasp (Evonia appendigaster) looks a bit like a black spider with wings. Many people on seeing one might assume that it could sting but in fact it is totally harmless. The Ensign Wasp is actually a beneficial insect because it is a parasite of cockroaches and hunts for their egg-cases of cockroaches, which are known as oothecae. The female wasps lay their eggs in them and the wasp larvae eat the eggs of the cockroach. Adult wasps, which are about 1/4 to 3/4 inch long, can be found feeding on the nectar of flowers and on honeydew that aphids have deposited on leaves, as well as hunting for cockroach egg-cases.