Larval Food:
Adult Food:
Body Length:
Wingspan:
Description:
Habitat:
Flies/Found:
Feature:
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Beetle larvae and the brood of solitary wasps
and bees
Nectar of many species of flower, especially primroses.
Adult 14 - 18 mm.
24 mm
Their body is stout and furry, with the top of the thorax being black
and shiny and the pile either brown, yellow, or white. They have long
spindly legs as well as a long rigid proboscis found in the front of
the head. Their boldly patterned wings have a distinct dividing border
through the horizontal middle between the dark and clear portions.
Their antennae
are typically very short and pointed.
Throughout temperate climates.
April - June
When close to the bee's burrow, the female will flick her eggs into or
near the nests of the host insects. The larvae are hypermetamorphic
parasitoids which then feed on the food stored, as well as the young
solitary bees or wasps. If the female is unable to flick her eggs near
the nest she plants them on flowers visited by the host insects. The
developing larvae then make their way to the host nest or attach
themselves to the bees or wasps to then be carried to the nest. |