Bug FAQSteel-blue Cricket-hunter Wasp
Chlorion aerarium · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Sphecidae
Also called: Aphid Wasp, Blue-green Cricket-hunter Wasp, Green Cricket-hunter Wasp, Steel-blue Cricket-wasp
The steel-blue cricket-hunter wasp looks a lot like the blue mud-dauber Chalybion californicum. Both species share a similar shape, colour, and geographic range.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It resembles the blue mud-dauber in shape and colour.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Its habitat overlaps with that of the blue mud-dauber.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range overlaps the range of Chalybion californicum.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It can be confused with the blue mud-dauber because of similar appearance.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 49 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio, Illinois, Colorado, New York, Georgia.
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
How can I tell this wasp apart from the blue mud-dauber?
The two look very similar in shape and colour, so identification may require close examination or expert help.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is this wasp likely to be found?
It occurs in the same areas where the blue mud-dauber is found.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Sphecidae)
Yellow-legged Mud-dauber WaspSceliphron caementariumCan sting
Common Blue Mud-dauber WaspChalybion californicumCan sting
Great Golden Digger WaspSphex ichneumoneus
Great Black Digger WaspSphex pensylvanicusCan sting
Gold-marked Thread-waisted WaspEremnophila aureonotata
Mexican Grass-carrying WaspIsodontia mexicanaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorion_aerarium
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.