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Photo#6894
Great Golden Digger Wasp with Katydid Prey - Sphex ichneumoneus

Great Golden Digger Wasp with Katydid Prey - Sphex ichneumoneus
Upshur County, West Virginia, USA
July 23, 2004
My sister-in-law noticed this wasp going in and out of its hole. As we waited, about every 25 minutes the wasp would bring in another Katydid. They Katydids varied in size quite a bit; some were so large the wasp flew clumsily. Several other Sphex of this same species were also bringing Katydids to their near-by holes.

Amazing!
The katydid here is a conehead, Neoconocephalus sp., a female judging by her ovipositor. I don't even like messing with them, as they can bite really hard! What a trophy for the wasp:-)

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