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Project Noah Nature School
Chlorion aerarium
A large metallic blue wasp.
Spotted digging in sandy soil near the Umtanum creek.
The Steel-blued Cricket Hunter is widely distributed coast to coast in the U.S. and Canada. It is most often seen in July and August when it is hunting for crickets to provision its nest. It hunts for crickets in the family Gryllidae in open areas and meadows. When a cricket is found the wasp administers a paralyzing sting and carries it to her underground nest chamber. Often her nest chamber is inside the entrance to a Cicada Killer burrow. A nest chamber can contain several cells, each provisioned with several crickets. She lays an egg on one of the crickets and seals the cell. The larva consumes the crickets and pupates, emerging the following summer as an adult.
Spotted on Sep 21, 2017
Submitted on Sep 23, 2017
2 Comments
Thanks so much for commenting Erik. I'll make the change.
This may be Chlorion aerarium, the Steel Blue Cricket Hunter. Blue Mud Dauber carries water, not mud, to make a nest. It is usually a much more subdued blue in color, too.