Gelis

Taxonomy

Gelis meabilis is in the family Ichneumonidae. Ichneumonidae are parasitic wasps that use their long ovipositors to deposit eggs into an insect host. One nest in a Bee Atlas block was parasitized by Gelis meabilis in Dakota County in 2017, and two blocks in Hennepin and Ramsey counties had Gelis meabilis emerge from them in 2022. 

Description

Gelis meabilis are small Ichneumonid wasps with an average length of 3 to 5mm. Unlike other wasps in the genus Gelis, which are apterous, G. meabilis possesses finely veined wings sometimes with patches of slight shadowing. G. meabilis wasps resemble ants in their body structure and are stockier and less angular than some other Ichneumonids. They usually have reddish-brown bodies with the tip of the abdomen being dark brown or black. Like most Ichneumonids, G. meabilis has very long, slender antennae with 13+ flagellomeres. 

Nest Structure

We only had four nests that were parasitized by Gelis meabilis in the Bee Atlas project. No host insects emerged from the nests, indicating that all cells in the nests were likely parasitized. 

Hole Sizes

No information at this time.

Voltinism

No information at this time.

Activity Period

No information at this time.

References

Thank you to John Luhman for identifying all of our Ichneumonid specimens.