Hump-backed beewolf
The hump-backed beewolf is a small, sturdy wasp with a broad head. It is shiny black with yellow spots and stripes. It is called a beewolf because it hunts bees to feed its babies.
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Fun facts
It is the most common and widespread beewolf in North America.
The mother digs a tunnel nest in sandy soil.
The males mark the area around the nest with a special smell to keep other males away.
Unusually, the females have more yellow on their heads than the males.
There are two families of them each year, and the second one spends the winter as larvae in cocoons.
Most asked questions about Hump-backed beewolf
?Why is it called a beewolf?
Because it hunts bees, like a wolf hunts, to feed its young.
?How big is the hump-backed beewolf?
About 10 to 12 millimetres long.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Philanthus gibbosus
- Group
- Wasps and hornets
- Family
- Philanthidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Hymenoptera > Philanthidae
- Lives on
- North America
Where the facts come from
- Philanthus gibbosus (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by USGS Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Laboratory. Public domain, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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