The Aloof Wasp – The Unfriendly Solitary Chalybion Californicum
It’s that time again when working in the garden looks like it’s about to begin, have you ever noticed small blue black wasp flicking its shiny wings as it dashed across the dirt, searching here and there, looking for a spider. The chalybion californicum is an impressive wasp, which can be identified by its blue and black sheen, a narrow waist between thorax and abdomen. Though Yellow jackets, paper wasps and bald faced hornets are the very model of teamwork, the solitary wasp have an incredible variety in their lifestyle and shapes, but one thing binds them together injecting eggs directly into their victim while larvae consume its innards. The larva, having molted five or so times, will be at full adult weight and pupate (form a cocoon), emerge as an adult and continue the cycle.
