My husband and I were talking with a neighbor next to our veggie and herb garden. Suddenly this huge insect lands in the garden and I thought it was a darker dragon fly (in MN there are lots of different types of dragon flies chewing up mosquitoes).

So, I moved in close to look at it. To my surprise it was a huge black wasp. I was scared by the thing and quickly backed away. I saw another one today (or the same one I don't know).

This is the first time in my life I have ever seen such a thing and I'm in my early 40s. From where did they come?

Yes, they do sting and its a nasty bite. I was recently bitten in the bum (LOL) and it IS by far the worst insect bite I have ever suffered (knocking on wood).

I was stung one month ago and I am still dealing with it, i.e. itching.

They love my composter and not knowing what they were I swatted at them and of course got a well deserved bite in the butt.

I felt the sting immediately and within a few minutes a 2" round swollen area appeared. It did not respond to antihistamine or prescription strength hydrocortisone.

The next day the swollen area developed a bright red ring that spread a few centimeters for a week.

This was followed by a fluid filled sack (gross I know) that developed small rash like bumps and pustules.

Oddly, none of this elicited itching at the time.

3 weeks into this ordeal the itching began but luckily the redness subsided and the rash diminished.

One month later it still looks ugly, it itches but is healing slowly.

I occasionally find a dead wasp in the composter so I have gotten a very good look at them and indeed we are talking about the same critter.

I now have a profound respect for these critters and only go near my composter in the early morning hours when these guys are not yet out and about.

This is indeed a "great black wasp," Sphex pensylvanicus, probably a male. Females are larger and more robust. Many wasps come to mint, and other black ones would be in the genera Isodontia and Podalonia, and possibly Prionyx.