Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
BugGuide Gathering
Pack Forest
Washington State
July 10-12, 2009
Details...

Photos from the 2009 gathering
 
Photos from the 2008 gathering in Tennessee
 
Photos from the 2007 gathering in Minnesota

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Bees, Ants, and other Stinging Wasps » Apoid Wasps (Apoidea)- traditional Sphecidae » Thread-waisted Wasps (Sphecidae) » Sphex » Great Black Wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus)
Photo#311064
Is this a digger wasp? - Sphex pensylvanicus
Copyright © 2007 Adam

Is this a digger wasp? - Sphex pensylvanicus
St. Paul, Dakota County, Minnesota, USA
July 23, 2007
Size: 2+"
These guys live under the concrete and access the nest via a large crack. They're very large and seem uninterested in me. I've seen them bringing grasshoppers to the nest. Just this summer one seemed confused about the entrance and repeatedly flew away from the house and then back towards it, almost looking for something familiar. I noticed it grabbing the grasshopper's antennae repeatedly before taking flight. So far, I've only seem them colored all black, with shimmering or iridescent blue wings. I have more photos here: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=bug%20insect&w=54993679@N00
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by Adam on 27 July, 2009 - 7:21pm
Last updated 25 August, 2009 - 10:23am

Moved
Moved from ID Request.
… Eric R. Eaton, 25 August, 2009 - 10:23am login or register to post comments

Yes, but...
If you have these (and adult katydids like the one she is dragging) around in APRIL, then there really is something to global warming. This image had to be taken in about August....Wasp is a female "great black wasp," Sphex pennsylvanicus. Katydid looks to be a species of Scudderia.
… Eric R. Eaton, 28 July, 2009 - 10:05am login or register to post comments

 
Thanks Eric, My bad on the da
Thanks Eric, My bad on the date. The photos were taken on July 23rd, not April. Sorry for the confusion.

I noticed yesterday one of the captures she was carrying looked like a grasshopper (long rear legs, skinny body, similar head, etc) but was light green colored and had some sort of curved tail. Appeared to be softer than a grasshopper. Is that still a Katydid?
… Adam, 28 July, 2009 - 10:12am login or register to post comments

 
Yes.
The curved "tail" would be the ovipositor of a female katydid. I'm moving this image to the guide page. We don't have many images of one of these engaged in her predatory behavior. Thanks for sharing!
… Eric R. Eaton, 25 August, 2009 - 10:23am login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2009 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by Iowa State University Entomology.

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Site Map
Contact