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TranslateEctemnius cephalotes
Ectemnius cephalotes (Olivier,1792)
Length 15mm. (males are slightly smaller)
Flight period: Univoltine; early June to early October.
Widespread throughout the United Kingdome but rare in Scotland. A Holarctic species and can be found throughout Europe and as far East to the Urals.
Habitat: A wide range of habitats including woodlands, copses, edge of woodlands, hedgerows, coastal and urban locations. Mostly found near large pieces of dead wood for nesting sites, such as rotting wood from fallen trees and the stumps of trees.
The female will usually enter a common entrance shared by other female wasps within the rotten wood, she will then proceed in her lateral tunnel to her nesting cells. The female will stock each cell with a selection of various medium sized flies (favourites being hoverflies such as syrphids, other preferred prey being, tabanids, calypterate and acalyptratae). In each cell she will lay one egg, the tunnel is then sealed containing up to twelve flies for each larvae cell. The adult wasps will begin to emerge early June.
The nesting sites within these large rotting logs can be very busy with other wood-nesting sphecids. The males play no part in helping the females after mating.
Parasites: The anthomyiid fly Eustalomyla festiva is often found close to the nesting sites of E. cephalotes. Other exploiters are possibly sarcophagid flies of the genera Amobia and Macronychia.
Read MoreLength 15mm. (males are slightly smaller)
Flight period: Univoltine; early June to early October.
Widespread throughout the United Kingdome but rare in Scotland. A Holarctic species and can be found throughout Europe and as far East to the Urals.
Habitat: A wide range of habitats including woodlands, copses, edge of woodlands, hedgerows, coastal and urban locations. Mostly found near large pieces of dead wood for nesting sites, such as rotting wood from fallen trees and the stumps of trees.
The female will usually enter a common entrance shared by other female wasps within the rotten wood, she will then proceed in her lateral tunnel to her nesting cells. The female will stock each cell with a selection of various medium sized flies (favourites being hoverflies such as syrphids, other preferred prey being, tabanids, calypterate and acalyptratae). In each cell she will lay one egg, the tunnel is then sealed containing up to twelve flies for each larvae cell. The adult wasps will begin to emerge early June.
The nesting sites within these large rotting logs can be very busy with other wood-nesting sphecids. The males play no part in helping the females after mating.
Parasites: The anthomyiid fly Eustalomyla festiva is often found close to the nesting sites of E. cephalotes. Other exploiters are possibly sarcophagid flies of the genera Amobia and Macronychia.
