Cutworm-hunter
Guides
Podalonia argentifrons
cutworm wasp
Podalonia argentifrons is a species of thread-waisted wasp in the family Sphecidae, subfamily Ammophilinae. Like other members of its genus, it is a solitary hunting wasp that preys on soil-dwelling caterpillars ('cutworms'), paralyzing them to provision underground burrows for its larvae. The species occurs across North America, the Caribbean, and Middle America. Females are active in early spring and may overwinter as adults, emerging on warm winter days to hunt.
Podalonia pubescens
cutworm wasp
Podalonia pubescens is a solitary thread-waisted wasp in the family Sphecidae, subfamily Ammophilinae. Like other members of the genus, females hunt soil-dwelling caterpillars (cutworms), paralyze them, and provision underground burrows as food for their larvae. This species occurs in North America and Central America. Species-level identification requires examination of minute morphological characters such as the presence or absence of arolia (small pads between the claws), making field identification to species difficult.