Tabs group
These black wasps have greenish-yellow bands on their abdomens. Their legs are yellow, except for the parts nearest their bodies. Their wings are transparent, with brown veins. They are 13 to 16 mm long.
The solitary female digs a nest in sandy soil. She then goes hunting and brings her paralyzed prey back into the underground nest, to serve as food for the larva. After laying an egg on one of the prey, she plugs the end of the burrow with sand. The larva feeds and pupates inside a cocoon in the nest before emerging as an adult.
Once her offspring has reached the pupa stage, the female digs another nest and lays another egg.
This species is found throughout North America, except on the Pacific coast.
Bembex d’Amérique, guêpe de sable, guêpe fouisseuse
Habitat/Diet
These wasps live in open, sandy spots, like lakeshores, beaches and sandy meadows. In urban areas, they may nest in playgrounds, parks, sandboxes, etc.
The adults feed on flower nectar.
The larvae feed on various species of flies in the Tabanidae family (Chrysops) and bee flies, caught and paralyzed by the female. She feeds her offspring by leaving fresh prey in the nest about every five days. A female sand wasp may catch up to 20 prey to feed a single larva.
These insects burrow very quickly into the sand, disappearing in just a few seconds.
A female sand wasp often digs several nests not far from each other, but uses only one or two at a time for her larvae. The extra nests may be intended to fool predators or parasites.
These and black and white digger wasps are the two most common sand wasps in Quebec. In some years, the two species are frequently found in urban parks with sand-covered surfaces.
Ecological roles
This predatory wasp species plays a major role in controlling fly populations.