Great Black Digger Wasp

Here's a Great Black Digger Wasp I met. I don't see a lot of these guys, though they're apparently widespread and can be found across most of the contiguous US states. They're relatively large, and mostly black though with iridescent blue on the wings. The females can sting, though this is primarily used on other insects.

They are one of a genus of wasps that start life eating paralyzed insects like katydids that their mom left for them. After growing into an adult, they leave this cuisine and live off of pollen and nectar for the rest of their lives. They are probably helpful to gardeners in that they not only eliminate some plant-eating insects but also function as pollinators.

They are in the thread-waisted wasp family.

August 18, 2020 at Duke Farms




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