Leaving a meeting on children's bike safety with people from the local DeVos Children's Hospital at the Garfield Park Lodge I stopped dead in the tracks as I heard the loadest buzzing insect (different from a Cicada) fly past me only a couple inches off the parking lot pavement. When it stopped and seemed to disappear, I found that what appeared to be a very large Wasp(?) had gone into the opening of what looked like a large ant-hill in a crack in the asphalt pavement in the middle of the parking lot. It went down into the hole, and then dirt would be pushed out (with its large shovel like back feet) enough that I could catch a short glimpse of the end of its'abdomen. It kept burrowing further and pushing out more dirt, but after several minutes, it quickly darted back out and quickly flew off zig zagging over the warm surface of the parking lot. I could not tell if there was only one of this Wasp as it kept coming back and then flying away, or if there was actually more than one. I could only get a few shots as the traffic in the parking lot was increasing and the drivers were asking what I was doing kneeling down in the middle of the lot. I didn't go back the next day as I had planned as I heard that the parking lot was being seal-coated. This was one big Wasp/hornet. What was it and just what would have been its' prey? Does this insect sting and is it powerful enough to be painful and maybe even dangerous (to some people or small children?)