Thread-waisted Wasp

Description:

Identification: Medium-sized (body length 19-28 mm), slender, with very long waist at least twice as long as rest of abdomen. Mostly black, with some red markings on thorax and more-or-less red basal half of abdomen. Comb-like sand rakes on fore tarsi. Wings clear.

Habitat:

Widespread in areas with bare sandy soil.

Notes:

Biology: Females hunt caterpillars among foliage. These are carried, usually in flight, to pre-prepared, single-celled nests dug in the soil Several prey are provided per nest.