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Insects and other arthropods

Digger wasps

English
Photo: Insectarium de Montréal (André Payette)
Sand wasps
  • Sand wasps
  • Bicyrtes quadrifasciatus

Tabs group

Description

These insects vary greatly in size, but all have narrow “thread-like” waists. They have an effective stinger at the tip of their abdomens and are solitary hunters.

The larvae are legless. 

Until recently, the Crabronidae were included in the Sphecid family of wasps, as they are all fairly similar in appearance and behaviour. The Crabronidae are now considered a separate family.

 

Life cycle

After mating, the female makes a nest in the sand and then hunts for insects or spiders, paralyzing them with her venom. She carries the prey into the nest and then lays her eggs on them, so that the prey serves as food for the larvae.

A few species are kleptoparasitic: the females visit the nests of other wasps and lay their eggs on prey already stored there. They then abandon their eggs, and do not return to care for the larvae.

French name
Guêpes fouisseuses (guêpes de sable)
English name
Digger wasps (sand wasps, sand-daubers)
Class
Insecta
Order
Hymenoptera