Mellinus arvensis (Linnaeus,1758)
Video
Field Digger Wasps Mellinus arvensis hunting flies attracted to some badger dung. Video by John Walters.
Distribution
A common and widely distributed species in Britain and Ireland. A very common species, but its distribution is restricted to European countries, with the exception of Mediterranean areas.
Status (in Britain only)
This species is not regarded as being scarce or threatened.
Habitat
Sandy localities, frequently coastal.
Flight period
Univoltine; June to September.
Prey collected
Diptera, particularly Muscidae (s.l.), Syrphidae and Tabanidae. Prey is sometimes hunted on mammalian droppings. The female wasp walks over the droppings and with a sudden leap, seizes the fly in her mandibles; immobilises it with a sting, and then flies with it to her nest (Lomholdt, 1975-76). May also take basking flies from fences and tree trunks (M Edwards, pers. comm.).
Nesting biology
The nests are constructed in sandy soil, not infrequently in aggregations. Some nests have been found under paving slabs (usually laid on sand) (Shaw & Pont, 1971). The soil accumulated from digging the burrow is not dispersed by ritualised, instinctive behaviour on the part of the wasp, but is left to form a tumulus (G W Allen, pers. obs.). The burrow goes down 30-40 cm almost vertically and there may be one or several cells. Each cell is provisioned with four to thirteen flies, the egg being laid on the first of these (Lomholdt, 1975-76). Nests are frequently established in shady locations, an unusual habit for an aculeate (M Edwards, pers. comm.).
Flowers visited
No information on flowers available, but G R Else (pers. comm.) has seen many wasps of both sexes running over sycamore leaves, presumably searching for honeydew from aphids.
Parasites
Known parasites in Europe are miltogrammine flies in the genera Macronychia and Senotainia (Lomholdt, 1975-76).
Year profile last updated
1998
Proofed: March 2012