#scoliidae

for their size and hairiness, scoliids are shy and slippery creatures that i don't even bother trying to photograph half the time i see them. luckily, i came across this Scolia hirta who had decided the weather was un-summerlike and went to sleep early, and let me get some shots despite some half-assed thrashing on his part. two things of note on his abdomen - on the very tip you can see long spines that characterize him as a male, while on the dorsum you can see a spooky halloween face

Mammoth wasps are the largest wasp in Europe; females can reach up to 4.5 cm (1.8 in) in length! These wasps are also fuzzier than other wasp species, often bearing resemblance to bumble bees-- or woolly mammoths. Like many wasps, mammoth wasps are parasites. In particular, females target European rhinoceros beetle larvae into which they lay their eggs so that their young will have a readily-available food source when they emerge.

Scoliid wasp appreciation post!!

These beautiful wasps are parasitoids of scarab larvae, including the Japanese beetle, which is a common invasive species where I live

Looks like after a recent taxonomy review the mammoth wasp is now under the scientific name Regiscolia maculata, how cool!

Tiny mites on her thorax ;(

The four-spotted scoliid (Pygodasis quadrimaculata) is a large wasp found in scrubland and other open, sandy habitats in the southeast US. Scoliids are solitary hunters that rummage on the ground in search of scarab beetle grubs, which they will pursue by burrowing below ground, paralyze, and lay an egg on. Like most solitary wasps, they have no interest in humans and will not sting unless handled roughly.

In the habitats where I’ve seen P. quadrimaculata in Florida, ox beetles (Strategus antaeus) are by far the most common scarabs with grubs big enough to serve as a host for a wasp of this size, so I assume that’s their main prey.