Subfamily Bembicinae

3 tribes in the subfamily, with ca. 280 spp. in 35 genera in our area(1) and ~1700 spp. in >80 genera worldwide(2)

Mesonotum almost always expanded laterally into laminae more or less overlying the bases of the tegulae, and the jugal lobe of the hind wing is shorter than the submedian cell; all except Bembicini have two apical spurs on the middle tibiae; forewings with three submarginal cells.

For keys and other detailed information see(3)

Adults feed on nectar. Larvae are fed insects which the adults put in the nests: most species prey on Auchenorrhyncha but several species are kleptoparasitic on (steal from) other Bembicinae

Ground-nesters

Females are either solitary nest provisioners or brood parasites of other wasps. In the nest-provisioning species, each female digs one or more ground nests using mandibles and front legs (often armed with a row of stout rake spines called 'pecten').(4)

Parker, J. B. (1917). A Revision of the Bembicine Wasps of America North of Mexico. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 75:2-203. Vol. 52 (Full Text)

Parker, J. B. (1929). A generic revision of the fossorial wasps of the tribes Stizini and Bembicini with notes and descriptions of new species. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., Vol. 75:2-203. (Full Text)