On my morning walk down Piney Woods Church Road today, I encountered this wasp with the most slender waist that I have ever seen, apparently gathering nectar from a Hoary Mountainmint. I mistook it for a Thin-Waisted Wasp at first, but an expert at BugGuide on Facebook set me to rights. It is actually a species of mason wasp, Zethus spinipes. Researching this species further, I was astonished to find that relatively little is known about it. Supposedly it nests in abandoned burrows of other insects, but this has not been confirmed. One source, a web page from the Extension Service of the University of Florida, even cited a source on the genus dating back to 1894, though noting that it was likely in error. If anyone is looking for a biology research project at the MS or PhD level, Zethus spinipes is certainly available.
