|
|
Great Golden Digger Wasp - Sphex ichneumoneus |
|
|
|
The digger wasps are solitary wasps; that is, they live independently rather than in social colonies and they do not depend on other members of a colony to share in the raising of young or the maintaining of a nest. There may be several females working independent nests in a small area and several males may be "swarming" in the vicinity. Female great golden digger wasps dig nearly vertical burrows, with individual larval cells branching off horizontally. They provision each cell with a paralyzed cricket, katydid, or other related insect, then lay a single egg inside. The paralyzed insect remains alive and therefore fresh until the egg hatches and the resulting larva devours its mother's thoughtful (heh) gift. |
Adult female digger wasp feeds on flower nectar.
|
Adult digger
wasps are robust, active insects that take nectar at many different
varieties of flowers. I accurately measured the specimen pictured at
21mm, which to me is a rather large flying insect. Their wings are so
large they actually make a rustling noise when they fly. I chased these
wonderful critters around an giant patch of flowers for about 3 hours in
the hot summer sun, and only managed the one good picture. They just
don't hang around at any single bloom for very long, and are very wary
of large animals such as myself.
|
|
|
