![]() ![]() ![]() They develop into pupae near the end of fall and overwinter in their burrows until the following summer when prey and nectar are plenty. As soon as the larvae hatch, they will have a delicious meal to feed on as they develop. Each chamber is assigned an egg and a paralyzed insect to go with it. As a solitary species with no hive or sister workers, the female will dig about a foot beneath the soil and create a series of tunnels using her mouth and spiny legs. Like other digger wasps, the Great Black Wasp females build their nests in the ground. They can commonly be found patrolling flowering plants during the summer especially during July and August. Great Black Wasps occur across the majority of the United States except the Pacific Northwest. The larvae of the Great Black Wasp will slowly eat away at the prey’s paralyzed body over the course of a week while it is still alive. Their prey consists of many insects in the Orthoptera order (crickets, katydids, and grasshoppers). The adult females are active hunters that paralyze and carry their prey back to the nest for their brood. The adults drink from nectaring flowers while hunting for prey items for their young. ![]() Their bodies are also covered in many fine hairs that collect pollen during their trips to the garden. Females wield a stinger for paralyzing prey and are a few millimeters larger than males. They have long segmented antennae, tiny pinched waists, large compound eyes, and strong chewing mandibles. Their common name, Great Black Wasp, does this insect descriptive justice with its deep black body and wings that give off a blue iridescent sheen. Sphex pensylvanicus is a species of digger wasp approximately 22-28 millimeters in length. ![]()
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