Ensign Wasp
Hymenoptera: Evaniidae

The adult ensign wasp, about 1/4 to 3/4 inches long, is usually black in color. It has two pairs of wings, three pairs of legs, a broad head and stout thorax. Most noticeable though are the long cricket-like back legs and the small, laterally compressed abdomen attached near the top of the thorax. The abdomen is held up high on a narrow petiole(waist) which can be moved up and down like a signal flag, hence its name.

Life Cycle:
Complete metamorphosis: egg, larva, pupa, adult Ensign wasps are parasitoids of cockroach egg masses. The adults are usually found outdoors but may be indoors also, wherever cockroaches are found. The female wasp is very efficient in locating a cockroach egg case. She penetrates the hard egg case and lays one white egg inside. The larva develops through five instars while feeding on the approximately 12 cockroach eggs in each egg mass. It pupates within the parasitized egg case without forming a cocoon. At maturity the adult emerges by cutting a small hole in one end of the egg case. There are at least three generations per year. The adults live two to three weeks.

Diet:
The adult ensign wasp is attracted to the flowers of parsley and fennel, and to the honeydew excretions of sucking insects. The larva feed on cockroach eggs. The wasp is beneficial due to its parasitism of cockroach eggs and since it does not sting, bite or cause damage it is not considered a pest.