Nogales, Santa Cruz County, Arizona
October 15, 2017
Size: 19 mm
This wasp was carrying a Spodoptera frugiperda larva. I shot her with my preferred camera, but just for the sake of comparison, I went to get another camera. Upon my return, the wasp was gone. Then I noticed a hole in the ground nearby. Sure enough, the wasp came out and started to quickly bury the hole with soil. Close to the end, she picked pebbles with her jaws and, with loud vibration, compacted the soil at the entrance of the burrow, using the pebbles akin to a vibration compaction hammer. Finally, she spread plant debris on the ground surface. A master of engineering and disguise!
Coordinates: 31.335245, -110.937983
Determined by Salvador Vitanza
Confirmed by John S. Ascher