Bug FAQMilde's Tarantula-hawk Wasp
Pepsis mildei · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Pompilidae
Milde's tarantula-hawk wasp is a metallic blue-black insect about 2 to 3 cm long, with reddish antenna bases and fiery-red wings that have dark tips. Adults hunt live tarantulas to provision their larvae and also visit flowers for nectar. In the United States it is fairly common across many western and central states, and its overall range extends through North and Central America.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The wasp’s body is a metallic blue-black, the antennae have reddish bases that are darker at the very tip, and the wings are bright red with darkened bases and tips.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
It typically measures between 20 and 30 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Adults capture live tarantulas for their larvae and feed on flower nectar.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae are fed live tarantulas, while adults sip nectar from flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Males live for one to two months, whereas females live longer.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to North America and also occurs in Central America.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Its wings are duller than those of the similar Pepsis grossa or Pepsis cinnabarina.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 8 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Texas, Colorado, Utah, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico, Arkansas.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do these wasps eat?
The larvae are supplied with live tarantulas, and the adults feed on flower nectar.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find Milde's tarantula-hawk wasp?
They are common across many western and central U.S. states and are also present throughout North and Central America.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Pompilidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepsis_mildei
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.