"world except for the polar regions. The largest social wasp is the Asian giant hornet, at up to in length; among the largest solitary wasps is a group of species known as tarantula hawks, along with the giant scoliid of Indonesia (""Megascolia procer""). The smallest wasps are solitary chalcid wasps in the family Mymaridae, including the world's smallest known insect, with a body length of only , and the smallest known flying insect, only long. Wasps have appeared in literature from Classical times, as the eponymous chorus of old men in Aristophanes' 422 BC comedy Σφῆκες (""Sphēkes""), ""The Wasps"", and"
"when it was formally described. By this time it had invaded Japan and was attacking chestnuts there. It is now in Korea, Nepal, Italy, Slovenia, France, Switzerland and other parts of Europe, and the southeastern United States. The adult female wasp is 2.5 to 3 millimeters long and shiny black in color with brown legs. It produces stalked white eggs, each about 0.2 millimeters long, and the larva is white and about 2.5 millimeters long. The adult male of the species has never been observed. The female lays eggs in the buds of chestnut trees, sometimes producing over 100 eggs."
"from the nest after three month. This species can be found in Australia and Indonesia. Abispa splendida Abispa splendida (also known as the large mud-nesting wasp or velvety black and yellow) is a species of wasp in the Vespidae family. ""Abispa splendida"" can reach a length of about , with a forewings span of about . Body is black and orange-yellow coloured. Thorax is black with yellow shoulders. Head, antenna and legs are yellow. The abdomen shows yellow and black segments. Wings are orange. These wasps build their mud nest under rocks or inside holes in trees. Larvae pupate in"
"Abispa splendida Abispa splendida (also known as the large mud-nesting wasp or velvety black and yellow) is a species of wasp in the Vespidae family. ""Abispa splendida"" can reach a length of about , with a forewings span of about . Body is black and orange-yellow coloured. Thorax is black with yellow shoulders. Head, antenna and legs are yellow. The abdomen shows yellow and black segments. Wings are orange. These wasps build their mud nest under rocks or inside holes in trees. Larvae pupate in their pot. The golden yellow pupa reach a length of about . The adults emerge"
"wood. Dipogon bifasciatus Dipogon bifasciatus is a spider wasp from the family Pompilidae. An all-black species with bifasciate wings, the generic name, ""Dipogon"" ""two beards"", refers to the tufts of forward-pointing bristles on the maxilla of the female, the purpose of which is to pack the nest entrance with old spider silk. Females grow to 5–9 mm in length, and males 4–7 mm. These spider wasps are found in southern Britain through Europe to Russia and on to Japan. In Europe, the southern limits are in Italy and Bulgaria. Open wooded areas such as forest edge, scrub, orchards and vineyards."
"The female ranges up to 25 mm (1 inch) in length, is wingless and ground-dwelling, and exclusively hunts mole crickets, whereas all other species of tiphiids attack beetle larvae. The cricket is paralysed with venom injected by the female's stinger and an egg is laid upon it so the wasp larva has a ready supply of food. The male is smaller, about 15 mm (0.5 inches), and has wings. Adults feed on nectar, and pollinate various native Australian flowers. The sting can cause a severe burning sensation and swelling in humans; in rare cases, it can cause a life-threatening reaction"
"in 1994. The population increased in the Great Lakes area from 2004 on; the species had reached Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan by 2009. The wasps can swarm between 20 and 50 km (12 and 31 mi), and will take until about 2050 to spread to the far southeast of the USA at the current spreading rate. Subsequently, forestry authorities intensified their pest control methods and additionally started education campaigns, such as warning not to transport firewood over large distances or to store it too long. Through wood export, the wasp can spread to East Asia, West Australia"
"about 1.5 to 1.8 cm in length and are brown to black in color. They are considered mid-sized wasps and have slender bodies. In addition, the first abdominal section of the body is extended in length. The genus ""Mischocyttarus"" has several distinctive features, including asymmetrical tarsal lobes that are only found in ""Mischocyttarus"" adults. There are also distinctive features in ""Mischocyttarus"" larvae, including one to three lobes on their first abdominal segment and large thoracic spiracles. ""M. drewseni"" is typically found in neotropical environments, primarily in South America. This species has been seen in Guyana, Surinam, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Paraguay,"
"hawk wasps are of a similar size and can overpower a spider many times its own weight, and move it to its burrow, with a sting that is excruciatingly painful to humans. The solitary giant scoliid, ""Megascolia procer"", with a wingspan of 11.5 cm, has subspecies in Sumatra and Java; it is a parasitoid of the Atlas beetle ""Chalcosoma atlas"". The female giant ichneumon wasp ""Megarhyssa macrurus"" is long including its very long but slender ovipositor which is used for boring into wood and inserting eggs. The smallest wasps are solitary chalcid wasps in the family Mymaridae, including the world's"
"are one of the largest species of Cynipid wasps. The gall itself is a typical oak apple gall in appearance, roughly spherical and varies from greenish to reddish or orange depending on host, age and environmental conditions. The galls range in size from a 2–14 centimeters across and often contain multiple larvae as well as parasites and other species that form a mutual relationship by feeding off the galls themselves. The outer galls are hard in texture and are not easy to penetrate. ""A. quercuscalifornicus"" is believed to reproduce strictly by parthenogenesis, and no male specimens have ever been recovered."
"there are seven accepted species of ""Mesoleptus"". In 2008, Dr. Chris Williams at the National University of Ireland, Galway announced the discovery of what he believed to be a new species of ""Mesoleptus"", which he termed ""Mesoleptus hibernica"" for the ancient Latin name for Ireland. However, the species has yet to be confirmed by further specimens, and is therefore not considered official. Species information retrieved from the Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Mesoleptus Mesoleptus is a genus of parasitic wasp in the family Ichneumonidae with a wide geographic distribution. The antennae of its members are typically long, slender, and usually curved."
"Orussidae The Orussidae or the parasitic wood wasps represent a small family of sawflies (""Symphyta""). Currently, about 85 extant and four fossil species are known. They take a key position in phylogenetic analyses of Hymenoptera, because they form the sister taxon of the megadiverse apocritan wasps, and the common ancestor of Orussidae + Apocrita invented parasitism for the first time in course of the evolution of the Hymenoptera. They are also the only sawflies with carnivorous larvae. The fully winged wasps are 2−23 mm long. They are predominantly black but species of ""Chalinus"", ""Mocsarya"" and ""Orussobaius"" are more or less"
"to the genus ""Vespula"", which includes various species of social wasps that are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. In North America, these wasps are most commonly known as yellowjackets, but this name also applies to species within the sister genus ""Dolichovespula"". Members of ""Vespula"" are often confused with other genera, especially the paper wasp ""Polistes dominula"". Colonies of ""V. germanica"" share many characteristics with those of ""V. vulgaris"" (common wasp) and ""V. pensylvanica"" (western yellowjacket), so they are very often studied together. The German wasp is about 13 mm (0.5 in) long, has a mass of 74.1 ± 9.6 mg,"
"North Africa and Oriental Region. Stilbum cyanurum Stilbum cyanurum, the large cuckoo wasp, is a species of cuckoo wasps (insects in the family Chrysididae). ""Stilbum cyanurum"" can reach a length of about . The colour range of this widespread species is considerable. Head and thorax usually are bluish green, while the abdomen is golden red. These wasps parasitize various mud-nesting hymenoptera belonging to the ""Eumenidae"" family (""Eumenes unguiculatus"", ""Eumenes unguiculatum"", ""Katamenes arbustorum""), ""Sphecidae"" family (""Pelopoeus distillatorius"", ""Sceliphron caementarium"", ""Sceliphron destillatorium"" and ""Sceliphron madraspatanum"") and ""Megachilidae"" family (""Chalicodoma"", ""Megachile""). This widespread species is present in Spain, Switzerland, Afro-Tropical Region, Australian Region,"
"there may be 2-3 generations of adults in a year but in the tropics there can be as many as 6 generations. The females can reproduce asexually by thelytokous reproduction and live for up to 7 days, males are rare and the asexual reproduction allows ""L. invasa"" to rapidly increase its population size. Several eucalyptus species are susceptible to the wasp. Host species include bangalay (""Eucalyptus botryoides""), apple box (""E. bridgesiana""), Tasmanian blue gum (""E. globulus""), cider gum (""E. gunnii""), flooded gum (""E. grandis""), swamp mahogany (""E. robusta""), Sydney blue gum (""E. saligna""), forest red gum (""E. tereticornis""), and manna"
"have a dark reddish-brown abdominal coloration. Queens can also be distinguished from workers due to the occurrence of sperm in the spermathecae of the queens. ""B. mellifica"" are small, with a body length of 7-9mm. ""B. mellifica"" make paper nests that range in size from 40–50 cm in diameter. These nests are quite full and can house anywhere from 3,500 to 18,700 wasps. The nest begins as a single irregular layer of cells attached to the first layer of carton on a branch. Clumps of cells on the branch are then extended into the first hanging layer. Successive layers are"
"spider monkey (""Ateles"" sp.), African giant swallowtail (""Papilio antimachus""), three-toed sloth (""Bradypus tridactylus""), kinkajou (""Potos flavus""), and tamandua (""Tamandua tetradactyla""). The emergent layer contains a small number of very large trees, called ""emergents"", which grow above the general canopy, reaching heights of 45–55 m, although on occasion a few species will grow to 70–80 m tall. Some examples of emergents include: ""Balizia elegans"", ""Dipteryx panamensis"", ""Hieronyma alchorneoides"", ""Hymenolobium mesoamericanum"", ""Lecythis ampla"" and ""Terminalia oblonga"". These trees need to be able to withstand the hot temperatures and strong winds that occur above the canopy in some areas. Several unique faunal species"
"80 mm long. The body is sparsely covered with white bristly hairs and the tail, which is raised when disturbed, is yellow and can exude an odorous fluid. During the day the larvae congregate in clusters of 20 or 30 for protection and disperse at night to feed. The adult wasps are mainly black or brown, with yellowish markings and about 25 mm long. The adult wasps are found from about January to May, though mainly in autumn. Eggs are laid under the leaf surface with the saw-like ovipositor. The larvae are mainly active during late winter and spring and"
"which measure approximately 2.5 mm in length. The pointed head is black, with pale brown eyes and long clear wings are present with dark brown veins and hairs. In late summer the agamic generation develops in the circular, golden brown, raised, and disc-shaped structure, known as a 'silk button spangle gall'. The gall increase in size even after they fall to the ground in autumn, this being achieved by cell enlargement rather than though further cell division. The gall wasp that causes the agamic generation was previously named as ""N. vesicator"" until the two generational status of the species was"
"Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, former Yugoslavia). These wasps mainly inhabit hedgerows and vegetated areas. ""Pimpla rufipes"" can reach a length of about . These wasps are generally sturdy black with bright orange legs. The hind legs are larger than the other pairs. The ovipositor is straight, quite short and thick. The first tergite is box like with the spiracle anterior to the middle. The main hosts of this parasitic wasp are the large white butterfly (""Pieris brassicae"") and the gypsy moth (""Lymantria dispar""). The fertilized females of these wasps lay an egg in the pupae of those lepidopterans."
"tightly against the leaf lamina. blister galls are about 0.3 cm in diameter and green or greyish in colour; well camouflaged with the leaf lamina. The gall has narrow ridges running downwards on all sides from a central papilla on the upper surface and sometimes on the lower surface as well. Both galls are both unilocular and unilarval. The female wasp of the bisexual generation is about 1.8–2.4 mm in length; largely brown in colour with clear wings and hairy legs. The male is also winged and slightly shorter than the female. The agamic generation consists of only female wasps"
"upper clypeus stripes, and combinations of both clypeus edge and tip colorations. Furthermore, some wasps have these facial and abdominal patterns in brown and black instead of yellow. These markings colors, however, are often influenced by the geographic location of the wasp. The length of ""P. fuscatus"" often ranges between 15 and 21 mm. The fore wing length ranges between 11.5 and 17.0 mm; in general, the fore wing of males is above 13.0 mm, whereas females have a fore wing length above 11.0 mm. Both males and females have rather slender bodies and have a waist that connects the"
"of ""P. sulcifer"". ""Polistes sulcifer"", like most other paper wasps, are typically 0.7-1.0 inches long. Because it is a social parasite, it is adapted for fighting off the host species, and has some morphological distinctions. ""P. sulcifer"" is known to have larger mandibles and anterior legs than those of related species. It also has a more square-shaped head, which is hypothesized to have evolved from the need for robust muscles to power the larger mandibles. Additionally, there is often a black band in the lower half of the clypeus. This trait in particular distinguishes it from its host species ""P."
"Dipogon bifasciatus Dipogon bifasciatus is a spider wasp from the family Pompilidae. An all-black species with bifasciate wings, the generic name, ""Dipogon"" ""two beards"", refers to the tufts of forward-pointing bristles on the maxilla of the female, the purpose of which is to pack the nest entrance with old spider silk. Females grow to 5–9 mm in length, and males 4–7 mm. These spider wasps are found in southern Britain through Europe to Russia and on to Japan. In Europe, the southern limits are in Italy and Bulgaria. Open wooded areas such as forest edge, scrub, orchards and vineyards. They"
"wasps and typically yellow in colour. The body length ranges from 9–13 mm. They have two pairs of wings. The pair of forewings are much larger and measure 8–14 mm in length. The wing membrane is almost entirely transparent (hyaline) and pale. Wing venation is mostly brown-yellow. The antennae are exceptionally long compared to the rest of the body, measuring up to 14 mm. A pair of compound eyes on the head are conspicuously coloured blue or dark-blue. The abdominal part (tergum) is divided into six tergites. They belong to the ""Colastomion"" Baker, 1917, group of genera which additionally includes"
"their body length, but this is not true of the other genera. The largest known megalyrid is the female of the Australian ""Megalyra shuckardi"", with a body length of and ovipositor length of . The smallest known megalyrid is the Brazilian ""Cryptalyra plaumanni"", with a body length of and ovipositor long. Megalyrid wasps are thought to be idiobiont endoparasitoids of concealed insect larvae. One Australian species, ""Megalyra troglodytes"", attacks the larvae of ""Arpactophilus mimi"", a mud-nesting crabronid wasp. Oviposition habits of Megalyridae are regarded as quite primitive, with field observations suggesting they simply poke their ovipositors into pre-existing cavities, holes,"
"Reported host species are ""Agrotis ipsilon"", ""Gonocephalum rusticum"", ""Cerura palestinensis"", and ""Ptilodon capucina."" These wasps are present in most of Europe, in the Near East, in North Africa and in Oriental ecozone. They mainly occur in dry habitats. Anomalon cruentatum Anomalon cruentatum is a species of parasitoid wasps belonging to the family Ichneumonidae. ""Anomalon cruentatum"" can reach a body length of , while the front wings reach . Body is mainly black in males, while in females head and thorax are reddish (hence the species name ""cruentatum"", meaning ""bloody""). Abdomen is slender and propodeum is reticulated. Clypeus is rounded at"
"of the cephalothorax. The wasp digs a burrow in loose sandy soil using the combs on its front legs and draws the paralysed spider into it, it then lays an egg on the spider's abdomen which hatches in two or three days, when the grub begins to feed on the soft tissue of the spider. Grubs which hatch too late in the season to mature will often go into diapause over the winter. Episyron quinquenotatus Episyron quinquenotatus, the white-trimmed black wasp, is a North American species of pompilid spider hunting wasp. The body length is approximately 10 mm. The body"
"Orsonwelles Orsonwelles is a genus of spiders belonging to the family Linyphiidae. The 13 known species, all native to the Hawaiian Islands, include the largest known linyphiids, reaching maximum body lengths of 14 millimeters (0.55 inches), an example of island gigantism. Each species occurs on a single island, often at high elevations. The spiders have large jaws, and are generalist predators. The genus name honors the actor and film-maker Orson Welles and many of the species names commemorate elements from Welles' films, radio productions, or roles. One species has not been collected since the 1890s, and is believed to be"
"ephippium""), which is actually a species of potter wasp. Hornet Hornets (insects in the genus Vespa) are the largest of the eusocial wasps, and are similar in appearance to their close relatives yellowjackets. Some species can reach up to in length. They are distinguished from other vespine wasps by the relatively large top margin of the head and by the rounded segment of the abdomen just behind the waist. Worldwide, there are 22 recognized species of ""Vespa"", Most species only occur in the tropics of Asia, though the European hornet (""Vespa crabro""), is widely distributed throughout Europe, Russia, North America"
"Phanuromyia odo Phanuromyia odo is a species of wasp, found in the tropical regions of North, South, and Central America. The wasp is known to have inconsistent physical features, which is why the scientists who discovered this species named it after the """" character, ""Odo"", who was popularly known to have shape-shifting abilities. The ""Phanuromyia odo"" can grow up to 3mm in length. The insect's hip-bone segment or coxa, and legs are bright yellow in color. The frontal portion of its mesoscutum consists of a wrinkly structure with tiny studded holes, whereas the posterior half has a leather-like and wrinkly"
"In colour the wasp is largely black, yellowish, and red. The female wasp is about 12 mm in length, and like many Ichneumonids she has a protruding ovipositor almost as long as her gaster. A surprising feature of ""Sericopimpla sericata"" habits is that the adult kills bagworms in two ways. In either case it stings them with the ovipositor. The bagworm wriggles and contorts within the bag to avoid attack, but as a rule the female wasp succeeds in stinging it sooner or later. In some cases the female then proceeds to eat the prey herself. The sting paralyses the"
"species can be found in most of Europe. Batozonellus lacerticida Batozonellus lacerticida is a species of the spider-hunting wasp belonging to the family Pompilidae. ""Batozonellus lacerticida"" can reach a length of about . These spider hunting wasps have a mainly black body, with yellow markings on the abdomen. Wings are orange, with a brownish band on the tips of the forewings. This species hunts large orb weaver spiders (Araneidae family), mainly ""Argiope bruennichii"", ""Argiope lobata"", ""Araneus angulatus"" and ""Araneus ventricosus"". The wasps paralyze these spiders with their poisonous stings and drag them into their underground nests. Then they lay an"