Common name : Sirex wood wasp
Scientific name : Sirex noctilio
Family : Siricidae
Native to : Europe, Asia and North Africa
Interesting fact : The wood wasp is an invasive pest, which has become a problem for pine trees in many part of the world.
9-36 mm in body length, the wood wasp has a long pointed body without a waist. Females are blue with orange antennas and male are black. Females drill holes through the barks of trees and lay one egg in each hole. Sometimes they also deposit a mucoid substance and a symbiotic fungus for the larvae’s growth. However, this is considered to be poisonous to the tree. The wood wasp’s diet is comprised of coniferous trees, specifically pine trees.
