Cuckoo Wasp

Natural Habitat

Found worldwide in open fields, gardens, and near walls where host bees or wasps nest.

Diet & Feeding

Adults feed on flower nectar; larvae are parasitoids or cleptoparasites that feed on the larvae and food stores of other wasps and bees.

Behavior Patterns

Known for their brilliant metallic luster (typically green or blue) and their ability to curl into a tight ball for protection when threatened; they lay their eggs in the nests of solitary bees and wasps.

Risks & Benefits

They have a reduced stinger that is mostly non-functional for defense, making them harmless to humans; they benefit ecosystems by helping to regulate the populations of other insects.

Identified on: 6/12/2026