Mining bee (Andrenidae: Andrena sp.) from Iowa. These highly successful solitary bees (over 1,300 species in this genus alone) get their name from their ground-nesting lifestyle.
Thread-waisted wasp, Eremnophila aureonotata (Sphecidae), from Iowa. These parasitic wasps practice "mass provisioning," or providing all necessary food for their offspring in one go. Females of this particular species utilize various moth caterpillars, maiming or paralyzing them before dragging them to their burrows, laying a single egg, and sealing the chamber.
Orchid bee, Euglossa sp, from Panama.
