Leucospis affinis
Another new species for my prairie bee and wasp species set. The ID was courtesy of iNaturalist so if I've messed up the ID this time, at least I have somebody else to blame. Really though, it is quite incredible how good they are at identifying insects from a single photo.
L. affinis is a yellow and black wasp about 9-10mm in length. These wasps are recognizable by the large ovipositor curled over their back, their longitudinally folded wings, and by their swollen hind legs. They are easily mistaken for larger wasps, and this is intentional on their part. They are mimics of vespid wasps, such as yellow jackets. They even fold their wings in half to mimic the yellow jacket's distinctively thin wings!
As adults, L. affinis feed on nectar from flowering plants such as fleabane or wild celery, but as larvae, they are carnivorous. Female L. affinis lay their eggs inside the nests of mason bees, where their larvae will grow by consuming the mason bee larvae. This is known as parasitism, as the larvae eat and eventually kill their hosts. Larvae overwinter inside of the mason bee nest, and emerge as adults in late June. Females will then seek out another mason bee nest to lay their eggs in.
Source and more info: insectsofcornellgrele.weebly.com/
Leucospis affinis
Another new species for my prairie bee and wasp species set. The ID was courtesy of iNaturalist so if I've messed up the ID this time, at least I have somebody else to blame. Really though, it is quite incredible how good they are at identifying insects from a single photo.
L. affinis is a yellow and black wasp about 9-10mm in length. These wasps are recognizable by the large ovipositor curled over their back, their longitudinally folded wings, and by their swollen hind legs. They are easily mistaken for larger wasps, and this is intentional on their part. They are mimics of vespid wasps, such as yellow jackets. They even fold their wings in half to mimic the yellow jacket's distinctively thin wings!
As adults, L. affinis feed on nectar from flowering plants such as fleabane or wild celery, but as larvae, they are carnivorous. Female L. affinis lay their eggs inside the nests of mason bees, where their larvae will grow by consuming the mason bee larvae. This is known as parasitism, as the larvae eat and eventually kill their hosts. Larvae overwinter inside of the mason bee nest, and emerge as adults in late June. Females will then seek out another mason bee nest to lay their eggs in.
Source and more info: insectsofcornellgrele.weebly.com/