The Life Span of the Great Black Wasp Sphex pensylvanicus L> (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) and Other Observations from a Nesting Aggregation in Sioux City, Iowa, USA> 2003 -2017
In a fifteen year period, the observed life span of both male and female Sphex pensylvanicus was documented in an aggregation of these wasps behind a retaining wall on a residential lot in Sioux City, Iowa, USA. In addition, early season emergence of the males before the females (protandry) and instances of male territorial behavior were also confirmed. Half or more of the wasps disappeared; possible out-migration?
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