Blue-Winged Wasp

Blue-winged scoliid wasp taking nectar on English ivy flowers
Scientific Name
Scolia dubia
Family
Scoliidae (scoliid wasps) in order Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps)
Description

The blue-winged wasp is a common Missouri species of scoliid wasp. The abdomen has a distinctive fuzzy, rich rusty patch with two ovals of yellow. Its larvae eat Japanese beetle grubs and other scarab beetle larvae.

Learn more about this and other scoliid wasps on their group page.

Media Gallery
Blue-winged scoliid wasp taking nectar on English ivy flowers
The blue-winged wasp (Scolia dubia) is a common Missouri species of scoliid wasp. The abdomen has a distinctive fuzzy, rich rusty patch with two ovals of yellow. Its larvae eat Japanese beetle grubs and other scarab beetle larvae.
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Blue-winged wasp viewed from above, showing wrinkled surface of wings
The blue-winged wasp (Scolia dubia) is a common scoliid wasp. Like others in its family, its wings have distinctive corrugations: lengthwise, roughly parallel wrinkles on the outer half or two-thirds of the wings.
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Blue-winged scoliid wasp taking nectar from English ivy flowers, showing distinctive color on abdomen
The distinctive pattern on the abdomen is clearly visible in this image of a blue-winged wasp, as well as the hairs that help ID it as a scoliid wasp.
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Blue-winged scoliid wasp viewed from side
The blue-winged wasp hunts the larvae of Japanese beetles, a pest species that causes gardeners a lot of grief.
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Blue-winged scoliid wasp taking nectar on English ivy flowers
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Blue-winged wasp viewed from above, showing wrinkled surface of wings
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Blue-winged scoliid wasp taking nectar from English ivy flowers, showing distinctive color on abdomen
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Blue-winged scoliid wasp viewed from side
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Similar Species
About Land Invertebrates in Missouri
Invertebrates are animals without backbones, including earthworms, slugs, snails, and arthropods. Arthropods—invertebrates with “jointed legs” — are a group of invertebrates that includes crayfish, shrimp, millipedes, centipedes, mites, spiders, and insects. There may be as many as 10 million species of insects alive on earth today, and they probably constitute more than 90 percent all animal species.