Pelecinid Wasps – Pelecinidae family

Pelecinid wasp Family: Pelecinidae Common Name: Scorpionflies, American pelecinid wasp, Pelecanus polyturator. Appearance: The American pelecinid wasp is glossy back and skinny, with a long glossy abdomen. Moreover, females have long legs, Males have shorter abdomen, and their size is up to 7cm. The tails of females are long curved. The length of the tail is 5 times the length of the body. The hind legs of females are much longer than males. Host plants or food: Adult American wasps feed on nectar, and larvae feed on host grub. Adults also feed on beetles. Territory: North America, South America, Central Asia, Mode of damage: American wasps mainly feed on nectar and work as a pollinator and other plant damaging insects like beetles, so they do not harm plants or crops. Habits and life history: American wasps are commonly found in deciduous wood with large amounts of organic matter and gardens. They tend to stay low or can be found on flowers as they feed on nectar. They don’t communicate by making sounds but by releasing chemicals and signals, and they don’t fly high but stay close to the ground. They perform sexual reproduction. The females thrust their ovipositors in soil with more organic matter present; they detect beetles grub and lay eggs. Then the larva comes out and feeds on grub, and then after becoming an adult, the feeding pattern changes mostly to nectar.