Cricket-predator
Guides
Chlorion
cricket hunter wasps, steel-blue cricket hunters
Chlorion is a genus of solitary sphecid wasps distributed across the Americas, Africa, and tropical Asia through Java. The genus contains approximately 20 described species, including the well-known Steel-blue Cricket Hunter Wasp (Chlorion aerarium). Females construct underground burrows provisioned with paralyzed orthopteran prey—primarily crickets for most species, though Chlorion cyaneum preys on cockroaches. The genus is characterized by metallic blue to violet coloration, large size, and distinctive nesting behavior often associated with hard-packed soil habitats.
Chlorion aerarium
steel-blue cricket hunter, aphid wasp
Chlorion aerarium, the steel-blue cricket hunter, is a large, solitary thread-waisted wasp in the family Sphecidae. Females hunt crickets (Gryllidae) as prey for their larvae, paralyzing them with venom and caching them in underground burrows. The species is frequently mistaken for the similar blue mud dauber (Chalybion californicum), but is generally larger, brighter metallic blue to violet in color, and less hairy. Both sexes feed primarily on fermenting plant sap rather than nectar.
Sphex nudus
Katydid Wasp
Sphex nudus, commonly known as the katydid wasp, is a solitary digger wasp in the family Sphecidae. Females construct subterranean nests in soil or dirt substrates, including the floors of old barns. The species is notable for its specialized hunting behavior, targeting leaf-rolling crickets as prey for its larvae. It occurs across the eastern United States.