Hunting-wasp
Guides
Ammophila ferruginosa
Ammophila ferruginosa is a species of thread-waisted wasp in the family Sphecidae. It is one of over sixty species in the genus Ammophila found in North America. Like other members of this genus, it is a solitary wasp that provisions underground nests with paralyzed caterpillars as food for its larvae. The species was described by Cresson in 1865 and is recorded from North America, with specific distribution records from Canada including Alberta.
Ammophila juncea
Ammophila juncea is a species of thread-waisted wasp in the family Sphecidae. It belongs to a diverse genus of solitary hunting wasps known for provisioning nests with paralyzed caterpillars. Like other Ammophila species, females construct burrows in sandy soil and provide paralyzed prey for their larval offspring. The species was described by Cresson in 1865 and occurs in North and Middle America.
Cerceris atramontensis
Cerceris atramontensis is a solitary predatory wasp in the family Crabronidae, first described by Banks in 1913. Like other members of the genus Cerceris, it is a ground-nesting wasp that provisions its underground burrows with paralyzed insect prey for its offspring. The species is found in North America, with records from Canada including Alberta.
Cerceris tolteca
Cerceris tolteca is a species of solitary wasp in the family Crabronidae (formerly Philanthidae), described by de Saussure in 1867. The species is found in Central America. As a member of the genus Cerceris, it likely exhibits the characteristic hunting behavior of provisioning underground nests with paralyzed insect prey for larval development, though specific biological details for this species remain undocumented in available sources.
Dolichurus greenei
cockroach wasp
Dolichurus greenei is a species of cockroach wasp in the family Ampulicidae. It is a solitary hunting wasp that preys on cockroaches. The species was described by Rohwer in 1916 and is known from North America.
Harpactus
Snatching Sand Wasps
Harpactus is a genus of solitary hunting wasps in the family Crabronidae, commonly known as Snatching Sand Wasps. These wasps are part of the tribe Bembicini (or Gorytini in some classifications) and are known for their ground-nesting behavior and predatory habits. The genus was established by Shuckard in 1837 and includes multiple described species.
Lestica producticollis
square-headed wasp
Lestica producticollis is a species of square-headed wasp in the family Crabronidae, native to North America. It belongs to the tribe Crabronini, a group of solitary hunting wasps. Members of the genus Lestica are similar in appearance to related genera such as Crabro, Ectemnius, and Anacrabro, and are distinguished by subtle morphological features of the abdomen. As with other Crabronini, these wasps are predatory and provision nests with paralyzed prey for their larvae.