August 18, 2026
Thread-waisted Wasp (Ammophila procera) showing off its most unusual appearance. Their size ranges from the larger females, 0.8 to 1.4 inches long, to males, 0.6 to 1.2 inches long. Their lifespan as adults is generally, for males 3 to 10 days, for females 2 to 4 weeks, sometimes as long as 6 weeks.
As adults they eat nectar, and in this role, they are beneficial garden pollinators. Their larvae do not eat nectar, but adult females hunt and paralyze various insects and spiders, put them into a nest and lay eggs on them. Once hatched the larvae will eat the meal waiting for them.
These wasps are quite gentle and rarely sting us humans unless they are mistreated by being trapped, handled or stepped on.
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