Scolia Hortorum, Commonly known as Mammoth wasp,
The female can reach a length of 6 centimetres (2.4 inches)
The species can be seen in warm weather from May to September.
Can be found around the Mediterranean region and is totally dependent on its prey the “European Rhinoceros Beetle”. (Oryctes Nasicornis).
The female is larger than the male and has a yellow head, the male has a black head. Its body is covered in downy hair and is glossy black in colour with two yellow bands across its abdomen which are sometimes divided to form four yellow spots. Females have shorter antennae than males. The female also has large mandibles which are used to manipulate the prey.
Mammoth Wasp is an intimidating – looking insect, but despite its black and yellow ‘warning’ colours, it is not any more dangerous to people as most other wasps.
The adult mammoth wasps feed on nectar from flowers.
They are a parasitic and the female hunts in dead wood for the grubs of the European Rhinoceros Beetle, when found it paralyses the larva by stinging it; then she lays a single egg on the larva. The larva wasp consumes the beetle larva, apart from its skin. Once the beetle larva has been consumed, the wasp larva builds a cocoon and pupates; emerging from the cocoon as an adult in the following Spring. Mammoth Wasps are solitary and unlikely to be seen in any numbers
The images below are of the male Scolia Hortorum.