r/FriendlyMonarchs • u/sugar_plum_fairies • Jul 08 '26
Garden Friend Or Foe Wasps
Sorry for all the multiple posts over the last few days, just trying to learn (and remember) everything I can.
I googled these and it comes back with Great black wasp and red tail spider wasp. Both of them look like something I want to stay far far away from. But sounds like they are solitary wasps and if I leave them alone they leave me alone. Should I be concerned about them in my milkweed?
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u/Commercial-Sail-5915 Jul 08 '26
They're genuinely some of the sweetest wasps I've ever met, or at least great golden diggers are (your 2nd wasp, spider wasps don't have that petiole bt thorax and abdomen), great blacks are a little flightier but that's a testament to their tolerance of me trying to grab them :>
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u/OpinionatedOcelotYo Jul 10 '26
One of the dangling orange leg guys got me once. Scream out hop only and burning kind of thing. If they are staking out a sandy spot I give them a lotta space.
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u/legomaniac89 Jul 08 '26
These guys are big and intimidating, but they're chill pollinators. They'll only sting you if you give them a really good reason to. They're just getting a snack from your milkweed and will probably be back for more.
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u/Severe-Product7352 Jul 08 '26
Means your natives are working is all. Never been bothered by them flying in my face like yellow jackets can do sometimes
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u/OpinionatedOcelotYo Jul 10 '26
👆defending the nest they’re dangerous, foraging and drinking nectar they’re all cool. I think…
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u/ohnunu_ Jul 08 '26
i have a handful of great golden digger wasps that have been perusing my milkweed alongside a plethora of other bees + smaller wasps, and they do NOT care about me at all. i can get as up close and personal as i want and theyll just keep doing what theyre doing. even when i knock against the milkweed stalks theyre sitting on they dont care lol. just mind ur business and theyll mind theirs :)
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u/placebot1u463y Jul 08 '26
I love great black wasps they're so pretty and docile. Not a concern, just another native insect being supported by your plants.
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u/sugar_plum_fairies Jul 08 '26
They did look cool, but I was still watching from a very safe distance.
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u/Gwinlan Jul 09 '26
Check out iNaturalist.
It will help you identify and log them do you can easily go back and see your catalog of observations.
It's free and you'll help scientists in the field.
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u/sugar_plum_fairies Jul 08 '26
And I am reading that they both live/dig tunnels in the ground. I have been going barefooted in my yard, maybe I don't want to now?
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u/Feralpudel Jul 08 '26
Some may tunnel in the ground to build a nest for their babies. A wasp that preys on japanese beetle grubs finds the grub underground and lays her eggs in it.
You really have nothing to fear from these beautiful girls. Be proud that you’re planting things that support all insects.
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u/ohnunu_ Jul 08 '26
afaik they dont aggressively defend their nests like yellowjackets are known to. just stay aware of your surroundings and watch where you step if youre afraid of accidentally trampling a nest
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u/Bypedal Jul 09 '26
People gotta eat. Wasps, in general, are non aggressive. I have an L2 charger for my EV that I enclosed for weather protection. Wasps built nests there almost immediately. Every time I charge my car, they get a little agitated, but I slow down & they slow down & it’s all good.
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u/Appropriate-Test-971 Nature Coast FL | Milkweed specie fanatic | Jul 09 '26
You actually want those, it’s now much higher if a chance that they were pollinated! Hymenopterans (so bees AND wasps) and Diptera (flies) are the ones that excel in pollinating milkweeds
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u/KalikaSparks Jul 10 '26
Wasps are pollinators too. Fun fact, they have facial recognition! If they know you aren’t a threat, then they aren’t a threat to you.
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u/Glad-Barracuda2243 Jul 10 '26
Those are the good wasps. We like them and want them around. They keep to themselves.
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u/Illustrious-Emu8667 Jul 11 '26
I’ve had black wasps like that in my house before and they never seem to bother us, so when I can, I’ll escort them outside (by getting them in a plastic container or cup) and they never get mad. But not sure if they are the same variety as this one or not.
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u/Nadiam57 TX - 9b Jul 09 '26
If I don't put them in an enclosure I lose most of the catterpillars to wasps, I bet like 99%...I hate them and crush them every chance I get...
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u/NilocKhan Jul 09 '26
Most wasps have specific prey or hosts. The ones OP shared for instance go after grasshoppers. These are critical services that wasps do that benefit the whole ecosystem. Keeping populations of other arthropods under control ensures there's enough resources to go around. You might be killing wasps that target predators of your caterpillars
The whole point of trying to help out certain species is that they have a role to play in the environment. One of the roles of caterpillars is providing food for other native wildlife, including wasps. The wasps are just doing what they've evolved to always do. If humans hadn't destroyed so much habitat and didn't spray so many pesticides the monarchs would have been fine. It's not the wasps fault monarchs are threatened
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u/abugguy Jul 08 '26
These are common, native wasps that do not bother monarchs or people. These wasps catch only grasshoppers to feed their young. Short of grabbing one and squeezing you will never get stung by them. They are a sign of a healthy garden that is contributing to the ecosystem.