Mammoth Wasp

• It parasitises the large larvae of the rhinoceros beetle: it paralyses them with a sting and lays a single egg on them.
• Despite its six centimetres and its menacing look, it is a solitary and very peaceable wasp that rarely stings people.
• Its presence indicates ecosystems with dead wood and decaying organic matter, which is where its prey lives.
• It is the largest hymenopteran in Europe: the female reaches 6 cm and the male is considerably smaller.
• It depends entirely on the European rhinoceros beetle: the female seeks out its larvae in dead wood, paralyses them with a sting and lays a single egg on each.
• The wasp larva devours the beetle larva leaving only the skin, spins a cocoon and overwinters there until it emerges in spring.
• It has been recorded in southern Britain, but cannot establish there because its prey does not live on the islands.
• The adult is harmless and feeds only on nectar.

Habitat & environment

Warm Mediterranean areas with dead wood and compost

Litter / clutch size

A single egg per parasitised beetle larva

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regiscolia_maculata

Best time: From June to August, on flowering thistles and brambles