Female. Irvine Park, Orange, Orange County, CA. 10/08/06.
Copyright: Peter J. Bryant (pjbryant@uci.edu). Contact for originals		 Tarantula Hawk

Pepsis mildei

Hymenoptera: Pompilidae

 


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Female. Irvine Park, Orange, Orange County, CA. 10/08/06.
Copyright: Peter J. Bryant (pjbryant@uci.edu). Contact for originals
Female. Irvine Park, Orange, Orange County, CA. 10/08/06.
Copyright: Peter J. Bryant (pjbryant@uci.edu). Contact for originals

Male nectaring on milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis.
Thomas E. Riley Wilderness Park, Coto de Caza, Orange County, CA. 7-27-07.
Copyright: Peter J. Bryant (pjbryant@uci.edu). Contact for originals
Male nectaring on milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis.
Thomas E. Riley Wilderness Park, Coto de Caza, Orange County, CA. 7-27-07.
Copyright: Peter J. Bryant (pjbryant@uci.edu). Contact for originals

Male nectaring on milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis.
Thomas E. Riley Wilderness Park, Coto de Caza, Orange County, CA. 7-27-07.
Copyright: Peter J. Bryant (pjbryant@uci.edu). Contact for originals
Male nectaring on milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis.
Thomas E. Riley Wilderness Park, Coto de Caza, Orange County, CA. 7-27-07.
Copyright: Peter J. Bryant (pjbryant@uci.edu). Contact for originals

Male nectaring on milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis.
Thomas E. Riley Wilderness Park, Coto de Caza, Orange County, CA. 7-27-07.
Copyright: Peter J. Bryant (pjbryant@uci.edu). Contact for originals
Male nectaring on milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis.
Thomas E. Riley Wilderness Park, Coto de Caza, Orange County, CA. 7-27-07.
Copyright: Peter J. Bryant (pjbryant@uci.edu). Contact for originals

Male nectaring on milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis.
Thomas E. Riley Wilderness Park, Coto de Caza, Orange County, CA. 6-30-07.
Copyright Ron Hemberger
Male nectaring on milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis.
Thomas E. Riley Wilderness Park, Coto de Caza, Orange County, CA. 6-30-07.
Copyright Ron Hemberger

Rancho Cielo Estates, San Diego County, 7/24/05.
Photo Copyright: Debra Mauzy-Melitz

Rancho Cielo Estates, San Diego County, 7/24/05.
Photo Copyright: Debra Mauzy-Melitz

Here the "hawk" is just coming out of the crypt and begining to close the entrance. 
It took her about 10-12 minutes to completely fill it. Photo Copyright: Dick Newell
Photo Copyright: Dick Newell

Photo Copyright: Dick Newell
Photo Copyright: Dick Newell

The "evidence". Photo Copyright: Dick Newell


Thomas E. Riley Wilderness Park, Coto de Caza, Orange County, CA. 8-5-08.
Copyright: Ron Hemberger

Note on bevavior:

They're on mule fat (in the butterfly garden).
Two species: P. mildei with orange antennae, P. thisbe with black.
Walking by the bush, I bumped into it with my hat and sent maybe a dozen of them off
into the air. The all-male diners were absolutely non-aggressive and quickly returned.

Ron Hemberger