Sand Wasp - Bicyrtes quadrifasciata
Hymenoptera / Apocrita / Wasps / Crabronidae / Bembicinae / Bicyrtes / Bicyrtes quadrifasciata
These wasps are extremely numerous on various flowers at forest preserves near Chicago.
Live adult wasps photographed in the wild at DuPage County, Illinois.
Size: 15mm
 

Sand Wasp - Bicyrtes quadrifasciata

"The family BembicidÆ is divided into two tribes, the Stizini and the Bembicini, to the latter of which Bicyrtes quadrifasciata belongs. One principle determinant of the family is the lack of developed ocelli." [1]

Ocelli are simple eyes many insects use in conjunction with their compound eyes; they have been shown to be much faster in action and much more sensitive to light and shadow than their larger, more complex cousins.  Most Hymenoptera have a trio of ocelli on the top of their head - you can see a prominent bump on this wasp's head where those normally occur.

"The female constructs her nest alone in sandy areas and provides for her offspring; nests are often placed so closely together that the wasps may be said to form colonies. There is considerable diversity in the selection of food for their young, some species feeding them on flies, some on the nymphs of true bugs, while still others feed their young on insects of various orders and families." [1]

Sand Wasp - Bicyrtes quadrifasciata

Sand Wasp - Bicyrtes quadrifasciata
Undeveloped ocelli are clearly visible on top of the head

References
  1. Smith, M. R. Source: Annals of the Entomological Society of America, Volume 16, Number 3, September 1923 , pp. 238-246(9), THE LIFE HISTORY AND HABITS OF BICYRTES QUADRIFASCIATA SAY

 


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