Ground-nester
Guides
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.
Philanthus gibbosus
Hump-backed Beewolf, Beewolf
Philanthus gibbosus, commonly known as the hump-backed beewolf, is a solitary bee-hunting wasp and the most common and widespread member of its genus in North America. Females construct underground burrows in sandy soils and provision them with paralyzed bees as food for their larvae. The species exhibits a bivoltine life cycle with two generations per year, and shows a tendency toward temporary communal nesting behavior unusual for solitary wasps.