Syl sent us the picture of this female Pelecinid wasp hanging out at their cottage last week.
They are quite interesting bugs -- with an abdomen 5 times the length of the rest of the body. That abdomen comes in six segments. The Males are smaller, with swollen tip of abdomen; they are seldom seen. Hindwings of both sexes very short, about 1/3 length of forewings. It's that long long long body that gives them away. The female locates the grubs of May beetles in the forest soil, then stabs that long abdomen into the soil to deposit an egg on the grub. The egg then hatches, parasitizes the grub and pupates in the soil.
The weird looking things feed on nectar and are harmless, but do rather look like they belong on an episode of Dr. Who. Solitary wasps, that is wasps that do not live in hives or colonies, they are generally felt to be beneficial because they do feed on more damaging insects in gardens.
They are not all that commonly seen, so it was great to get this photo. Thanks Syl and Kelly!
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