Native wasp

This pretty wasp is a Hairy or Black Flower Wasp (Discolia soror) (known by both names - it's black and it's hairy!) I think this is a male because it's smaller than the female and has longer antennae.

These native wasps are solitary and don't make communal nests. But they can be seen swarming around gum trees in flower - as I witnessed at our local sports centre recently. I wondered what they were and then found one on my ever popular mint flowers today, so was happy to finally be able to identify it!

The female is bigger and more powerful, so that they can burrow into the soil to locate scarab grubs, which they sting and lay an egg on. When the larva emerges, it feeds on the still living scarab grub, which provides a fresh food source until the wasp larva finishes its development. I'd be happy to have more in my garden, as those beetle larvae are a bit of a pest in the soil of my veggie patch!

The wings are such a lovely blue, which is only really noticeable when extended like this and when flying.

Bigger blue