Vol. 78 2026

ARTICLES

Nesting Ecology and A New Record of Parasitism
in Bembix rostrata (Linnaeus, 1758) (Hymenoptera, Spheciformes, Bembicidae)

Piotr Olszewski1,*, Kornelia Kucharska2, Robert Żóralski3

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*,1Natural History Museum, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Kilińskiego 101, 90-011 Lodz, Poland; E-mail: piotr.olszewski@biol.uni.lodz.pl
2Department of Animal Environment Biology, Institute of Animal Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences – SGGW,
Ciszewskiego 8, 02-786 Warsaw, Poland; E-mail: kornelia_kucharska@sggw.edu.pl
3ul. Norwida 9, 84-240 Reda, Poland

https://doi.org/10.71424/azb78.3.003131

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Abstract

We present observations of the sand wasp Bembix rostrata (Linnaeus, 1758) collected between 2023 and 2025 at two sites in Poland (Sierakowo and Toruń). Females nested in loose, sandy soils, forming clusters of several to over 20 nests. Each nest consisted of a single tunnel (15-22 cm long) leading to a solitary cell located about 10 cm below the surface. The prey consisted of representatives of several Diptera families (Bombyliidae, Calliphoridae, Muscidae, Syrphidae, Tachinidae, Tabanidae, Therevidae), whose size was matched to the developmental stage of B. rostrata larvae. Only one nest cell contained more than 30 dipteran larvae. The cuckoo wasp Parnopes grandior (Pallas, 1771), known as a parasite of B. rostrata, was frequently observed in Toruń, but no evidence of parasitism was found during the analysis of the nests. Additionally, we report the first confirmed record of the strepsipteran Paraxenos hungaricus (Székessy, 1955) in Poland, based on a single parasitised female collected in Grabów nad Pilicą (central Poland). These findings provide up-to-date data on the nesting biology, prey selection, and natural enemies of B. rostrata, thus expanding our understanding of its ecological interactions and regional variability.

Key words

nest architecture, new record, prey selection, Strepsiptera

How to Cite
Olszewski P., Kucharska K., Żóralski R. 2026. Nesting Ecology and A New Record of Parasitism in Bembix rostrata (Linnaeus, 1758) (Hymenoptera, Spheciformes, Bembicidae). Acta zoologica bulgarica 78.

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