Metoecus paradoxus and its Crazy Wasp Destroying Ecology
Whilst walking back from the car to the house I chanced upon this Metoecus paradoxus , sat precariously in the middle of the garden path and narrowly escaping being stood on. A quick glance at this insect probably provides a bit of confusion as to what family it actually belongs to. Despite it looking very much like a fly, it is actually a beetle, belonging to the Ripiphoridae (Wedge-shaped Beetles). This is the second time I have recorded it within the garden, after finding a male in a similar situation a few years ago, associated with a wasp nest ( Vespula vulgaris ) in our loft. This female appears to have come from a similar wasp nest in the garage this year. As if this beetle doesn't look strange enough, it has an equally interesting ecology. Metoecus paradoxus is a parasite of wasp larvae. It primarily is a parasite on Vespula vulgaris and Vespula germanica , but will use other species too. As this species requires social wasps it occurs in any habitat that th...
