Thread-waisted Wasp

Thread-waisted wasp, (subfamily Sphecinae), any of a group of large, common, solitary (nonsocial) wasps in the family Sphecidae (order Hymenoptera) that are nam...
Read more

Thread-waisted wasp, (subfamily Sphecinae), any of a group of large, common, solitary (nonsocial) wasps in the family Sphecidae (order Hymenoptera) that are named for the stalklike anterior (front) end of the abdomen. Thread-waisted wasps are typically more than 2.5 cm (about 1 inch) long and are parasitic on insects and spiders. The host is often numbed by malaxation, a pinching or crushing of the neck by the wasp’s pincerlike jaws, and paralyzed by the wasp’s sting. The wasp places the host’s body in a mud cell and lays an egg on it. Upon hatching, the larva consumes the host. - Encyclopedia Britannica
Read less