Pompilidae

(synonym, Psammocharidae), the spider wasps, a family of aculeate hymenopterous insects of the superfamily Vespoidea. Generally the insects are of large or medium size. There are more than 3,000 species distributed throughout the world, especially in the tropics. About 150 species are found in the USSR, the greatest diversity occurring in the Transcaucasus and Middle Asia. Most pompilids dig burrows in the ground, where they lay their eggs on spiders that have been paralyzed by stings and that serve as food for the larvae. Some species use prey provisioned by other pompilids.