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Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

National Moth Week was July 23-31, 2022! See moth submissions.

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29

Photos of insects and people from the 2015 gathering in Wisconsin, July 10-12


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Family Crabronidae - Square-headed Wasps, Sand Wasps, and Allies

Crabronid - Cerceris fumipennis - female Cercerini -? - Cerceris Bembix americana? - Bembix americana Wasp 2 - Miscophus Type of Wasp? - Sphecius speciosus Anthidium bee ? Unknown  - Cerceris Miscophini
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
No Taxon (Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps)
No Taxon (Apoidea (minus Anthophila) - Apoid Wasps)
Family Crabronidae (Square-headed Wasps, Sand Wasps, and Allies)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Formerly lumped with Sphecidae(1); paraphyletic group with respect to bees (the latter arise from within Crabronidae)(2)
Explanation of Names
Crabronidae Latreille 1802
Numbers
1225 spp. in 98 genera of 6 subfamilies in our area(3); almost 9,000 spp. in >240 genera of 8 subfamilies worldwide(4)
Overview of our fauna (* –taxa not yet in the guide)
Family Crabronidae
Subfamily Bembicinae
Tribe Bembicini
Subfamily Crabroninae
Tribe Crabronini
Tribe Larrini
Subtribe Larrina Larra · Liris (subg. Leptolarra · *Motes)
Subfamily Mellininae
Subfamily Pemphredoninae
Subfamily Philanthinae
Food
Larvae feed on prey captured and brought to the nest by adult wasps. The type of prey varies according to species of wasp, but includes aphids, bees, beetles, bugs, butterflies & moths, cicadas, cockroaches, crickets, flies, grasshoppers, hoppers, mantids, and spiders.
A few species are kleptoparasitic, providing their larvae with prey that was captured by other species of wasps.
Life Cycle
Nest-sharing occurs in some subfamilies, especially Pemphredoninae and Philanthinae. Nesting habits and prey of FL spp.