Nesting Behavior, Ecology, Seasonal and Geographic Distribution of the Sand Wasp, Stictiella emarginata (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)

Abstract

The nesting behavior and ecology of Stictiella emarginata are documented for the first time based on field studies made mainly at Canadian Forces Base Borden, Simcoe County, Ontario. Type of soil, natural community, temporary closure, mound leveling, orientation flight, prey transport, nest structure and dimensions, and kind and number of prey per cell are defined. Museum and field collection records support a geographic bridge from northern Michigan to the Atlantic Coast and dispel the previously held notion of a disjunct distribution for this species. A late June-July-early August flight season is inferred from observations and collections made in Ontario, New York and Michigan. The nesting behavior and ecology of S. emarginata and several other Stictiella species from the western United States, Mexico and Florida are compared.