[3] This wasp is native to the Western Hemisphere, from Canada to South America, and provisions its young with various types of paralyzed Orthoptera.

[6] The burrow of the great golden sand digger consists of a descending shaft with individual brood chambers arranged at right angles to it.

[6] This arrangement makes it difficult to pull prey into a brood chamber without getting stuck and is one possible reason why the wasp always checks to ensure the path is clear before preferentially pulling its prey down by its antennae.

[6] In addition, female wasps commonly build their burrows nearby those of other females of their species and may even share a nest, but will fight with other wasps if they encounter them inside their burrow during prey retrieval.

[6] Thus, an unattended nest may pose a risk to a laden wasp if it has not been inspected first.