The burrowing wasp is an amazing insect that lives in almost any climate zone. But most of all it prefers warm and hot weather. In the tropics, you can find impressive wasps, the length of which reaches five centimeters. Among these insects there are species that sting, and those who do not have this ability by nature. In Russia, they are very common, especially in the south of the country.
Appearance
This insect, depending on the species, has its own special structure and length. Burrowing wasps (sfecidy) can reach up to fifty-five millimeters in size. They look about the same as ordinary wasps, but much larger. The back of the wasp resembles a small roller, which is a characteristic feature of this order. The name of insects comes from their main activity - they dig the ground, that is, they dig out their own housing and settle in it. The front legs of burrowing wasps are covered with protective hard bristles, the main function of which is to tilt the soil duringdigging process.
However, despite the name, not all members of this species live in earthen burrows. Some species prefer wood and plants. Many of them have a fairly flat upper segment, which helps them to pull the earth out of the narrow passage in the hole and level it.
Food of a burrowing wasp
The burrowing wasp is a predator. This is an amazing hunter with a certain attack strategy. If the wasp has chosen a victim, then she will no longer hide. In addition, the very first blow of the wasp is fatal. After such an attack, the victim is completely immobilized. But the wasp hunts mainly for posterity. The main part of her diet is the juice of plants, flowers, nectar. Burrowing wasps also consume water, but only a few species. Individual species extract the collected nectar from bee crops.
Types of burrowing wasps
This is a fairly large group of insectivores, numbering more than ten thousand species. The most common ones are:
- Osa Larra is anathema. This species is especially appreciated by gardeners and gardeners because its representatives exterminate pests, including the bear. This burrowing wasp is a loner, feeds on nectar, loves warmth, and can be recognized by its black color. While hunting for a bear, she delivers a blow that paralyzes the insect. The wasp then lays an egg in the victim's body. After the effect of the poison passes, the bear climbs deep underground. It is there that the wasp larva develops best, simultaneously parasitizing on the pest. Medvedka dies shortly beforehow the chrysalis is formed inside it.
- Sandy ammophila. She has a thin and long body, the color is black with a red belly.
- Bee wolf, philanthropist. This type of burrowing wasp is quite large, with a large head, developed jaws and a powerful body. The color of the philanth is black and yellow, there are several stripes of white on the back. The name defines the way of life of the wasp - it hunts honey bees. After the victim is caught, the philanthropist mortally stings her, eats the honey, and takes the body of the killed bee to the nest in which she feeds her offspring. The bee wolf causes significant damage to beekeepers.
- Common sandpiper. This burrowing wasp is black with whitish spots and a red belly. The food for the common grit is nectar and insects, such as grasshoppers and crickets. Usually the victims of these burrowing wasps are much larger than themselves. Having grappled in a fight with an insect much larger than himself, the gritty one fights to the last and, as a rule, emerges victorious. After a gritty stinger inflicts fatal blows on its prey, even a very large grasshopper will give up its spirit.
- There are also road wasps that lay their eggs in the bodies of spiders.
Sandy ammophila is considered a large representative of burrowing wasps - its length can reach four centimeters. This burrowing wasp feeds its offspring with caterpillars that live in the ground. First, the sandy ammophila preys on a victim that is several times larger than a wasp, then it paralyzes and drags it into its nest. Makes a clutch right on the caterpillar so that the larva can feed on it.
Reproduction in nature
Digging wasps are insects that are very sensitive to their offspring. For their larvae, they prepare food for the future and even build houses for the younger generation. Wasp larvae feed mainly on butterflies, caterpillars, flies, aphids, and spiders. Some species of wasps choose "their" insects as prey. These wasps do not live in groups, we can say that they are loners, so they bake their offspring on their own. After the female wasp prepares a dwelling for herself in the ground, she, like a thrifty mistress, fills the nest with food and only then lays her eggs. The earth mink closes at the top for protection. Some species of females check the nest with eggs every day in order to supply the larvae with fresh food. If there are several nests, then the burrowing wasp follows them all.
Nesting site
As a rule, burrowing wasps (photos of some of them can be seen in this article) nest where it is safe. They dig their own minks in the sand, earth, settle in the bark of trees or the stems of large plants. All this they do, following instinct, for future offspring. At the end of spring, the burrowing bees begin the mating season, after which the insects lay eggs in the prepared nest.
The importance of burrowing wasps for humans
Basically, these insects are of great benefit (the only exception is the bee wolf). They fight pests, protect useful plants and trees. The burrowing wasp lives in an open area, therefore it does not come into contact with a person and is safe for him.
