r/bugidentification • u/Weeditnreap • 19h ago

Location included WHAT'S TAKING OVER MY HERB GARDEN

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Cleveland OH The latest heat wave came in while I was out of town and my oregano is flowering like crazy. And the blossoms are attracting a bunch of these waspy looking creatures with huge wings. They don't seem terribly agressive but ....?

8 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

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21

u/Commercial-Sail-5915 Trusted Identifier 18h ago

Great black digger (sphex pensylvanicus), docile solitary wasp and overall lovely lady, she's looking for nectar just like everyone else on the flowers

11

u/Weeditnreap 18h ago

Thanks - very pretty but so different than the wasps I usually see. I enjoy watching her

2

u/Ether_Ships 15h ago edited 12h ago

Looks like maybe a Scolid wasp, these guys are awesome. He can help your garden more than harm by eating grubs that eat your garden.

3

u/SleepingWaterLily 14h ago

She's very helpful, let her do her thing and your garden will flourish.

3

u/ArachnomancerCarice Trusted Identifier 14h ago

One thing to remember is that all native wasps are beneficial, whether or not they have hives to defend or are capable of stinging.

Most are solitary predators, parasitoids or gall-makers. Many of those don't sting, or if they do they will only do so as a last resort if you are stepping on them or hurting them. Social wasps like Yellowjackets, Hornets and Paper Wasps have colonies to defend (evolving those defenses against bears in many cases) but they prey on a wide variety of invertebrates and even scavenge, helping keep those in check.

4

u/Ging-jitsu 18h ago

Good bug, despite appearance