Steel-blue Cricket Hunter vs Cuckoo Wasp
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Steel-blue Cricket Hunter | Cuckoo Wasp |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Chlorion aerarium | Chrysis ignita |
| Order | Hymenoptera | Hymenoptera |
| Family | Sphecidae | Chrysididae |
| Size | 18-28 mm | 6-12 mm |
| Habitat | Deserts & Drylands | Underground |
| Diet | Predators | Nectar Feeders |
| Regions | North America | Europe, Asia |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Steel-blue Cricket Hunter
A large metallic blue wasp that hunts field crickets and mole crickets. It drags paralyzed prey into burrows to provision its nest cells.
Did You Know?
It enters cricket burrows headfirst to sting and extract its prey from underground.
Cuckoo Wasp
A stunning metallic jewel-toned wasp that lays eggs in other wasps nests. Can curl into an armored ball when attacked. Its iridescent colors are among the most vivid in nature.
Did You Know?
Cuckoo wasps have an armored concave underside — when discovered by the host wasp, they curl into a perfect shiny ball that the host cannot sting through.