They tend to have elongated jaws, pronounced neck-like constrictions behind the head, strongly petiolate abdomens, and deep grooves on the thorax.

Many are quite ant-like in appearance, though some are brilliant metallic blue, green, and hot pink.

The second sting is directed into a region of the cockroach's brain that controls the escape reflex, among other things.

Their antennae are inserted low on their face, with the sockets close to, or touching the fronto-clypeal structure.

[2] Classification of Ampulicidae follows the Catalog of Sphecidae by Wojciech J. Pulawski, California Academy of Sciences:[3] Ampulicinae Dolichurinae