Long-necked cockroach hunter rediscovered!

During a training event sponsored by the Nature Conservation Academy and the Bioversity Fund, the long-necked cockroach hunter ( Ampulex fasciata) was rediscovered in Styria after 50 years. Until now, the species had only been known to occur in the state at Diepersdorf an der Mur and Mureck. This small , very primitive digger wasp— measuring 5.5 to 8.5 mm —preys exclusively on forest cockroaches and prefers to dwell near thick logs of dead wood—as was the case at Tierwelt Herberstein, where the wasp was discovered on a thick log of dead chestnut wood. The Styrian Academy of Nature Conservation, in collaboration with the Universalmuseum Joanneum and Tierwelt Herberstein, organizes several events each year on the topic of nature. The long-necked cockroach hunter (Ampulex fasciata) is a rarely encountered digger wasp. Old, gnarled, and partially dead oak trees—as well as chestnut trees—provide a unique habitat for many rare and endangered species.