Turf-pest-management
Guides
Myzinum maculatum
Myzinum maculatum is a species of thynnid wasp native to North America. It is a parasitoid of scarab beetle grubs, particularly Phyllophaga (May beetle) larvae, and has been employed as a biological control agent for turf grass pests. The species exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism: males are slender with long straight antennae and a prominent curled pseudostinger, while females are robust with short coiled antennae and stout legs adapted for digging.
Scolia
digger wasps, blue-winged digger wasps
Scolia is a genus of digger wasps in the family Scoliidae. Adult females hunt scarab beetle grubs in soil, paralyze them with a sting, and deposit eggs on the living host. The wasp larvae consume the grub from the outside, eventually pupating in the burrow and overwintering before emerging the following summer. Several species are common in North American lawns and gardens, where they serve as important biological control agents of turf pests.