BlackWasp

=Black Wasp=

//Sphex pennsylvanicus//
Family: [|Tettigoniidae] There is evidence of the Black Wasp living the Ames High Prairie; first of all there is the picture that is shown below. It was taken fairly recently. This picture was taken in the summertime, the time when most of the Black Wasps are out and about. Also, the Ames High Prairie is an ideal place for the Black Wasp to live(3). There is plenty of food for the adults as well as for the larvae( other insects ). The Black Wasp relies on other insects to live and reproduce, so the Ames High Prairie is good place to live. ====The Black Wasp is mostly found in Eastern and central North America, and lives in meadows, fields, prairie etc. It is mostly lives in the summer( July, August ), but is sometimes found in September.(3)==== The Black Wasp ( also called the [|Katydid Hunter] ) is an insect found in the Ames High Prairie. About 1 to 1/2 inches in length(1), this black menace feeds on nectar, sap and other insects. When the smaller females(3) dig their burrow, they stock it with a few insects. She then lays her eggs on each one, and when they hatch, the larvae feed on the still living insects(2). Adults, however, eat pollen or nectar.(3) No other wasp in North America is this large and dark. It is also the most unmarked one. Like most wasps they fly with their legs dangling below them, unlike [|bees] and [|hornets].(1)

__References/Links__
(1) [|wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_Great_Black_Wasp] (Explains how to identify and how to get rid Black Wasps) (2) http://www.cirrusimage.com/hymenoptera_Sphex_pensylvanicus.htm (Explains how Black Wasps lay their eggs, a few notes about their eyes) (3) http://bugguide.net/node/view/5530%20 (Contains lots of helpful bits of information, how its classified, information on other insects)