Weevil Wasp

Weevil Wasps are solitary hunters. They prey on Weevils, using them as a food source for their own offspring.

Members of the genus Cerceris are hunters and gatherers of weevils and other beetles. Females dig nests in the ground along roads or in areas with loose sand or soil like baseball fields, parks and beaches. They compact the material and create cells where they lay a fertilized egg. They fly off, in search of future food for their larvae.

Female Weevil Wasps bite their prey and paralyze them. The weevil or beetle is then brought back to the nest and stuffed inside a cell where they will remain paralyzed. A hatching wasp larva will immediately begin feeding on the living, paralyzed weevil or beetle. Once the wasp has grown, it will pupate into its adult form and leave the nest.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Hymenoptera

Family: Crabronidae

Genus: Cerceris

Species: spp.

Identifying Information

Scientific Name: Cerceris spp.

Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar

Size (Adult; Length): 9mm to 13mm (0.35in to 0.51in)

Colors: black, yellow

Descriptors: bands, stripes, flying, stinging, hornet, bulging segments

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Prince Edward Is.

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Territorial Reach (A-to-Z)

Newfoundland and Labrador

Mexico

Note: An insect's reach is not limited by lines drawn on a map and therefore species may appear in areas, regions and/or states beyond those listed above as they are driven by environmental factors (such as climate change), available food supplies and mating patterns. Grayed-out selections indicate that the subject in question has not been reported in that particular territory. U.S. states and Canadian provinces / territories are clickable to their respective bug listings.

Ant, Bee, and Wasp Anatomy

Graphic showing basic anatomy of both a bee and an ant insect

Antennae: Ants and Bees both have a pair of antennae on the head that senses their surroundings.

Head: The head contains the insect's compound eyes, antennae, and mandibles.

Thorax: Contains various vital parts such as the aorta and nervous system.

Abdomen: Contains various organs including the heart, gut, venom glands, and anus.

Legs: Ants and Bees have three pairs of legs attached to the thorax (center-body section).

NOTE: Ants, Bees and Wasps are part of the Hymenoptera order because they share many similarities.

Weevil Wasp (Cerceris spp.)

Weevil Wasps are solitary hunters. They prey on Weevils, using them as a food source for their own offspring.