BTB. Pemphredon lugubris (Latreille 1796)
Commonly known as “Mournful wasp”
Body length: 7 to 12mm
Family: Crabronidae,
Flight season: May to September.
P. lugubris has an ant-like body with elongated black wings with a brownish tinge, which has led me to believe this is to be the Mournful Wasp. But having said this, species identification is difficult.
Mostly found across Southern England and up to into the midlands; further north and into Scotland not so common. A few isolated places in Ireland the Mournful wasp have been recorded. Also mainly found across central Europe.
Habitat: Woodlands, Hedgerows, parks and gardens, especially littered with dead wood to nest in.
The female usually builds her nest, in the hollow of dead branches in trees or the stems of shrubs. As soon as the cell (nest) is completed, she will continue to fill this mainly with aphids (up to 40 in total), which are either killed with her stinger or mandibles. Once fully stocked, an egg is laid within the cell, which is then sealed.
Parasitoids of the genus are Ichneumons, Gasteruptiidae, Chalcid and Cuckoo wasps.