# Four-banded Stink Bug Wasp

*Bicyrtes quadrifasciatus*

A single female wasp can stock her underground nest with up to a dozen stink bugs to feed a single developing larva.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Hymenoptera › Crabronidae › Bicyrtes
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Open sandy fields, dunes, meadows, and gardens with loose soil.
- **Diet:** Adults feed on flower nectar; larvae feed on paralyzed stink bugs and leaf-footed bugs.
- **Range:** North America, Central America
- **Size:** 15-20 mm
- **Lifespan:** 1 year (adults live 1-2 months)
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Pesticide application, habitat destruction, and soil compaction which ruins nesting sites.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless and non-aggressive. These solitary wasps will not defend their nests like social wasps. Observe them safely from 1-2 feet. If stung (only if handled or stepped on), wash with soap and water and apply ice.

## About

Bicyrtes quadrifasciatus is a species of sand wasp in the family Crabronidae. It is found in North America.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/ef1ae785-4b1a-4724-b84d-13fe24fde253
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/146852
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicyrtes quadrifasciatus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/602431/medium.jpg (botanygirl, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.