Pemphredon wasp with prey

I spent a few minutes yesterday afternoon (July 4) watching Pemphredon wasps come and go to their nests in the rotting log. I suspect that by now all of the wasps have emerged from the nest where they spent the winter as prepupae. Females have mated with the waiting males, and the former are busy with their nests while the latter have gone off to die -- after the lucky ones have performed their only real function in life.

I noticed that the females seem to be returning with small prey, but they moved too fast to get a picture of them before they entered the nest. So I thought I'd try to capture one in a vial, then cool her down to take some pictures. I suspect the prey is an aphid, but I'm not sure -- so, as usual, I sent a photo into BugGuide for an ID.

Posted on Ιούλιος 05, 2018 0505 ΜΜ by swells