Bionomics of Oxybelus sparideus at Lake Texoma, Oklahoma (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae: Crabroninae)

Nesting habits of Oxybelus sparideus Cockerell were studied in southern Oklahoma. Wasp burrows were scattered along the sandy margin of a lake. They were nearly vertical, about 3.5 in. deep, and ended in 2 or 3 cells. They were stocked with 3–6 flies which averaged about the same size as the wasp. An entrance-closing ritual was performed whenever the wasp left the nest. The prey were almost exclusively various species of Tachinidae and Sarcophagidae. A sort of “self parasitism” resulted from destruction of the cell contents by larvae emerging from female sarcophagids which had been provisioned in 10 of 28 cells observed.