Double Post: Poecilopompilus algidus and P. interruptus
The most fascinating family of wasps, in my opinion, is Pompilidae; that is, the spider wasps. As Eric R. Eaton put it in the Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America, " Spider wasps (family Pompilidae) are solitary, high-strung hunters". In this post, I would like to focus on one genus: Poecilopompilus. This is one of the prettier genera, and P. interruptus mimics paper wasps. Poecilopompilus interruptus (Interrupted Spider Wasp): pigsonthewing, Wikimedia Commons Poecilopompilus algidus (Frigid Spider Wasp): Xsanka, Wikimedia Commons Poecilopompilus are one of the larger genera of spider wasps in the eastern United States. They are, as the pictures above make evident, variable between species. The adult females, much like any other spider wasp, hunt large wolf spiders. They will dig a burrow after prey capture. During nest excavation, they cache the prey nearby, and it is then at risk of being parasitized. The wasps attempt to combat this by checking on the prey oft...