Common name : Red soldier wasp
Scientific name : Netelia ephippiata
Family : Ichneumonidae
Native to : Australia, Java and New Zealand
Interesting fact : Unlike most wasps, the female of the red soldier wasp can sting, if threatened. The sting is extremely painful.
Reddish in colour and 20 mm in length, this wasp is gangly in appearance and does not live in colonies. The female stings the caterpillar host temporarily so that she may pierce its outer wall and lay eggs in the caterpillar. Once these eggs hatch, they stay attached to the host caterpillar and feed on it as external parasites.
