Scoliidae

(scoliid wasps), a family of hymenopterous insects of the suborder Aculeata. There are approximately 420 species, distributed primarily in the tropics. The USSR has 42 species. Scoliids are large or medium-sized wasps that are usually black with yellow markings. The largest species, Scolia flavifrons, which is found in the USSR, reaches a length of 4.5 cm. Adults feed on flowers. Females find scarabaeoid larvae in the soil and paralyze them by stinging the abdominal nerve center that controls body movements; they then deposit their eggs (one per larva) on the paralyzed prey. The scoliid larva consumes the prey and then pupates. Scoliids are beneficial insects, since they destroy the larvae of injurious cockchafers.