WHAT ARE DIGGER WASPS?
PICTURES OF DIGGER WASPS:
| Feeding on a Rice Cracker |
| In Action on Mud Ground Digging |
A Free Look
FACTS ABOUT DIGGER WASPS:
- They are large and they build nest in dry earth.
- They are found through out North America, Mexico, Central and South America. They are found in rural areas and also in urban.
- They live a solitary life and the adults feed on nectar from flowers and they rarely notice any other creature.
- They sting their prey and paralyze them.
- About 130 species of digger wasp are found in the world and some species make nest in the ground. Some other uses pre existing hole to lay egg.
- The captured insects are kept in this hole.
- This insect paralyzes their prey by using wasp toxin.
- The wasp constructs a protected nest and they lay egg in it and when the larvae hatch they feed the paralyzed insect.
- Golden digger wasp is an example of this species and this species is found in North America.
- Digger wasps are slender and about ¾ inch long and they can be easily recognized by their nesting behavior.
- During day time you can see this insect flying over the lawn in search of grubs.
- Grubs are their beneficial insect and they kill them and they lay eggs over the grub. A few nests are made in your lawn by the wasp depending up on the grubs found there.
- These insects basically don’t attack people but they are often seen all over the garden by afternoon in search of prey.
- Digger wasps stings when they are attacked or hurt by people.
Lifecycle
This wasp has a unique life cycle. Digger wasps choose a place on the ground to make a hole and it dig a hole of about 10mm deep. She searches for insects such as grass hopper, katydids and various crickets. She captures the prey by stinging and paralyzing them. She drags the prey to her burrow and she places the prey at the opening of the tunnel and she inspects it time to time.She lays single egg on the prey’s abdomen and she seals each one off. The prey will remain paralyzed until the egg hatches. The life cycle of digger wasp starts by mid July and end by late august. The life cycle of this insect can also start earlier or later as it depends up on where they live.
During winter season the digger spent most of the time in the nest. During summer female wasp builds half a dozen of nest with different compartment to place her eggs. The female wasp build nest through step by step procedure. The female wasp leys egg on each insect and these eggs are yellow in color with slightly curved cylindrical shape. The egg starts hatching after 2 to 3 days and they start feeding on the prey’s abdomen. The larvae take fresh food to sustain until they emerge as adults.
