About the Bembix rostrata
Bembix rostrata is a species of sand wasp native to Central Europe. The genus Bembix - of which B. rostrata is among the most distinctive species - has over 340 species worldwide and is found mostly in warm regions with open, sandy soils; Australia and Africa have a particularly rich variety of species.
Bembix rostrata ranges in distribution from Europe and the Mediterranean to Central Asia, and as far north as Denmark and Sweden. Bembix rostrata displays distinctive behaviour in front of its nest, digging its burrows with fast, synchronised movements of its forelegs. In addition, the insect can turn very rapidly about its own axis, the flapping of its wings as it does this producing a buzzing sound reminiscent of a gyroscope. Its size (15–24 mm or 0.59–0.94 in), striking yellow and black-striped abdomen and the labrum, extended into a narrow beak, are distinctive features.
Bembix rostrata goes through 4 general life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Adult females burrow nests into the sand and lay their eggs there. Once the eggs hatch, the new larvae continue their development in the nests that they were born in. Each... Wikipedia →