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Blue Ant - female (Diamma bicolor) This is a wingless female flower wasp known as a blue ant or blue bottle becuase of its appearance. the females are very difficult to photograph as they are always on the move, probably looking for beetle larvae to paralyse and lay eggs on. The developing wasp larve feed on the beetle larvae. Adult wasps feed on flowers.<br /> The male of the species can be seen here <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/36459/blue_ant_-_male_diamma_bicolor.html" title="Blue Ant - male ( Diamma bicolor)"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2767/36459_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=G9MQCGKzXGxy8tGMjIXndUEYB6c%3D" width="200" height="150" alt="Blue Ant - male ( Diamma bicolor) Also known as Blue Bottle, this is a male flower wasp is not as common as the wingless female which looks more like a large shiny blue ant.<br /> This wasp was of a moderate size-15 mm. It had black head, eyes, thorax and abdomen and short black antennae. The abdomen had 3 visible white markings on both dorsal and ventral aspects and perhaps a pair of small white patches at the waist. The anterior thoracic margin was also white. <br /> Wings were tinted and the leading edges appeared black and thickened. Femurs, tibiae and tarsi were brown.<br /> Spotted on tea-tree ( Leptospermum sp.)<br /> The female of the species can be seen on http://www.jungledragon.com/image/36470<br /> Australia,Blue ant,Diamma bicolor,Geotagged,Spring" /></a></figure> Australia,Blue ant,Diamma bicolor,Geotagged,Summer Click/tap to enlarge

Blue Ant - female (Diamma bicolor)

This is a wingless female flower wasp known as a blue ant or blue bottle becuase of its appearance. the females are very difficult to photograph as they are always on the move, probably looking for beetle larvae to paralyse and lay eggs on. The developing wasp larve feed on the beetle larvae. Adult wasps feed on flowers.
The male of the species can be seen here

Blue Ant - male ( Diamma bicolor) Also known as Blue Bottle, this is a male flower wasp is not as common as the wingless female which looks more like a large shiny blue ant.<br /> This wasp was of a moderate size-15 mm. It had black head, eyes, thorax and abdomen and short black antennae. The abdomen had 3 visible white markings on both dorsal and ventral aspects and perhaps a pair of small white patches at the waist. The anterior thoracic margin was also white. <br /> Wings were tinted and the leading edges appeared black and thickened. Femurs, tibiae and tarsi were brown.<br /> Spotted on tea-tree ( Leptospermum sp.)<br /> The female of the species can be seen on http://www.jungledragon.com/image/36470<br /> Australia,Blue ant,Diamma bicolor,Geotagged,Spring

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The Blue Ant

The blue ant is, despite its name and its appearance, not an ant at all, but rather a species of large solitary parasitic wasp sometimes known as a flower wasp. It is a native of south and southeast Australia, including the Australian states of Tasmania, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

Info 6 0
Similar species: Wasps, Bees, Sawflies And Ants
Species identified by Leuba Ridgway
View Leuba Ridgway's profile

By Leuba Ridgway

All rights reserved
Uploaded Mar 6, 2016. Captured Feb 5, 2014 10:23 in 11 Alexandra St, Upper Ferntree Gully VIC 3156, Australia.
country flag of Australia Explore Australia 13,072 4,173 3
  • SZ-10
  • f/3.7
  • 10/500s
  • ISO1600
  • 10.99mm
Captured in the summer. More summer photos.