Bug FAQThisbe's Tarantula-hawk Wasp
Pepsis thisbe · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Pompilidae
Source: Wikipedia
Female Thisbe's tarantula-hawk wasps are 32 to 44 mm long, dark blue with orange wings, and have a 7 mm stinger. Adults sip nectar while females hunt tarantulas to feed their larvae.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Females have curly antennae; males have straight antennae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Females measure between 32 and 44 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
Males lack a stinger; females possess a stinger about 7 mm long.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They live in dry, arid areas of the American Southwest.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on flower nectar, and females capture tarantulas for their larvae.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Their range is throughout the American Southwest.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 9 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Kansas.
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
Do they sting?
Female wasps have a 7 mm stinger and can sting, while males have none.
Source: Wikipedia
What do they eat?
Adults drink nectar from flowers, and females hunt tarantulas to feed their larvae.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are they found?
They are found in dry, arid habitats throughout the American Southwest.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Pompilidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepsis_thisbe
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.