Scolia dubia
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Scolia dubia, also known as the two-spotted scoliid wasp or a blue-winged scoliid wasp, is a species in the family Scoliidae. S. dubia is a 2.0–2.5-centimeter (0.8–1.0 in) long wasp. The body is black from the head through the first or second segment of the abdomen. The second third abdominal segment and beyond are red. The nominate subspecies possesses has the second abdominal segment black and two yellow spots on the third tergite, which are lacking in the subspecies S. dubia haematodes. The wings are violaceous or with blueish reflections.
Males are colored as the female of their respective subspecies but have longer antennae and seven rather than six metasomal segments. The subspecies S. dubia haematodes is colored much like Triscolia ardens but can be recognized by the forewing only possessing two submarginal cells rather than three in T. ardens.
This species ranges from New England to Florida and west to California in the United States. The southern extent of its range extends to Coahuila, Mexico. Females burrow into ground in search of grubs, particularly those of the green June beetle, Cotinis nitida, and... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-Winged Scoliid Wasp sighting in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 194th most-seen of the 723 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and September
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-Winged Scoliid Wasp in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to July, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue-Winged Scoliid Wasp sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Blue-Winged Scoliid Wasp sightings, Shenandoah National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Great Smoky Mountains National Park (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blue-Winged Scoliid Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Shenandoah National Park (20 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
