Brief Summary
provided by Catalog of Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico
This large genus occurs in all major zoogeographic regions and is the only representative of the subfamily in the Old World. These wasps nest in a variety of soils ranging from loose sand subject to blowing to hard-packed soil, and almost all species practice progressive provisioning. The more primitive species lay the egg on the first prey brought into the cell and the most advanced species place the egg in the empty cell. The nest may have a simple unicellular structure or it may contain up to 5 cells; accessory burrows are made by some of the more advanced species.
- bibliographic citation
- Catalog of Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico. 1979. Prepared cooperatively by specialists on the various groups of Hymenoptera under the direction of Karl V. Krombein and Paul D. Hurd, Jr., Smithsonian Institution, and David R. Smith and B. D. Burks, Systematic Entomology Laboratory, Insect Identification and Beneficial Insect Introduction Institute. Science and Education Administration, United States Department of Agriculture.
