Insects by Picture
Bees, Ants, and Wasps by Picture
Hymenoptera Taxonomy
Brachymeria podagrica - Bug Guide
Brachymeria - Wikipedia
I found this chalcidid wasp (family Chalcididae) on a window inside my house on August 10, 2017. It is not something I recall seeing before or since. Chalcidid wasps generally lay their eggs on the larvae of other insects, including other parasitical insects. Ones in the genus Brachymeria usually lay their eggs in lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), and the adults emerge from the pupae. People are starting to make use of this parasitism by releasing chalcidid wasps in agrigultural fields where lepidopterans or flies damage crops.
All chalcidid wasps have unusual hind legs, with the femorae are very wide, often with a saw-tooth pattern on the front. Some use this structure to help hold down the larvae in which they lay their eggs.
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