This was sitting on the outside of my sliding glass door, as stated in title I know its a wasp just curios if any one can give me more specifics.
We have yellow jackets around and those are pretty common along with mud daubers but I haven't seen anything like this one.
Edit: this is in northern California, united states, also i looked at the frequently asked bugs and didnt see anything that really matched
Hello! apologies for the meh-quality photos. I was wondering if I should be doing anything with the large amount of nests that have been built this year by waspy friends. (Edit: in Texas, USA)
I have counted an easy 14 nests in my back covered patio. There are more smaller ones being built in some nooks and crannies. 4-5 nests are built around my sliding door (should I be concerned?).
These guys I like to think are wasps from the past several generations of nests (I recall 2-4 nests last year in the same areas outside the sliding door). Thankfully, none of the wasps seem to be bothered by me going out and watering my plants. It does feel a bit scary thinking what would happen if they suddenly got spooked or decided I was a threat…
For folks who have a positive and peaceful relationship with their backyard wasps, any advice to share? I’m usually the only one out there to water my plants. Backyard isn’t used for other recreation. Lots of native plants in the back yard, too.
I guess it’s just the large number of nests being built that gave me pause. There were definitely not this many last year!!
Just some yellow jackets in a local botanical garden. Not being removed but just making people aware of them ❤️
The Megarhyssa macrurus, commonly known as the long-tailed giant ichneumon wasp, is a harmless parasitic insect native to North America. Despite its intimidating, prehistoric appearance, this striking insect lacks a functional venomous stinger and poses no threat to humans or pets. Its most defining characteristic is its immense size, with a brightly patterned yellow and reddish-brown body that can grow up to two inches long.
The wasp is famous for the female's extraordinarily long, thread-like tail, which is actually a specialized egg-laying organ called an ovipositor. This structure can extend over three inches in length, more than doubling the insect's total size. While it looks like three separate stingers, it consists of one central egg-laying tube encased by two flexible protective sheaths that peel away during use. Males are notably smaller than females and completely lack this tail appendage.
This specialized anatomy is critical to the wasp's predatory lifecycle, which targets the larvae of the pigeon horntail wasp buried deep inside wood. The female crawls along dead or dying hardwood trees, using her antennae to feel for the subtle vibrations of a horntail grub tunneling inside. Once she pinpoints a target, she uses her zinc-hardened ovipositor to drill several inches directly through the solid timber, paralyzing the host grub and depositing a single egg next to it.
Once the egg hatches, the newborn Megarhyssa larva slowly consumes the horntail host alive before pupating inside the tree and emerging as an adult the following summer. This intricate process makes them highly beneficial to forest ecosystems, acting as a natural population control for wood-boring pests. Because they only target insects residing within dead or decaying wood, they cause zero damage to healthy, living trees.
It's with immense sorrow that I inform you that the queen of the purple colony, Leela, has passed away today. Her body was found at the bottom of the cage, surrounded by ants.
Numerous studies and my own past experience suggest that the average life expectancy of a P.dominula queen once workers have appeared is approximately a month. And this is exactly how long it's been since Leela had her first workers, so her death is most likely natural (old age).
Leela has successfully carried out her duty on earth, preserving her ancestors' bloodline through the winter, starting a gorgeous colony in the spring, and making sure there will be a next generation. She left many eggs, some of which will undoubtedly develop into the next generation of queens under the lovely care of her army of workers.
Thank you all for following her story and for all the amazing comments you left under every post. My posts won't stop. I will keep updating you guys for as long as Leela's colony remains active.
Wasps are crucial for ecosystems by controlling pest insect populations (caterpillars, aphids), acting as pollinators for many plants (especially figs), serving as food for other animals (birds, spiders), aiding decomposition by carrying dead insects, aerating soil through nesting, spreading beneficial microbes, and even holding economic value in agriculture and medicine, making them vital for environmental balance, not just nuisances.
10 ways wasps help the environment:
Natural Pest Control: They hunt and feed on crop-damaging pests like aphids, caterpillars, and flies, keeping their numbers down.
Pollination: As they seek nectar, they transfer pollen, assisting in plant reproduction, especially for figs and orchids.
Food Source: Wasps and their larvae provide essential protein for birds, spiders, reptiles, and other predators, supporting higher food webs.
Decomposition: They scavenge dead insects and organic matter, helping to recycle nutrients back into the soil.
Soil Aeration: Digging nesting burrows helps mix and aerate soil, improving drainage and root growth.
Microbe Dispersal: Moving between flowers and decaying matter helps spread beneficial microbes, promoting plant health.
Promote Biodiversity: With thousands of species filling various ecological roles, wasps contribute to overall ecosystem richness.
Support Agriculture: Their pest control services reduce the need for chemical pesticides, saving farmers billions and protecting crops.
Biological Control Agents: Parasitic wasps lay eggs inside other insects, controlling pest populations naturally.
Nutritional Role (in some cultures): In some parts of the world, wasps (and their larvae) are a traditional food source for humans.
These are only a few reasons to love them. Get to know some of the families in the video and I bet I could make you a fan!
Here are some updates on Leela and her fast-developing colony.
Pictures 1 and 2 is what the nest looks like now. They keep preferring the purple paper, but are incorporating some red and a bit of green. Current population is approximately 15 adults.
Picture 3 is a worker butchering a mealworm pupa on the prey trey. Since there are more and more mouths to feed, the workers are taking out eight to ten pupae per day and that's just because I stop refilling them at some point. They'd gladly take more if they could, but I'd rather limit the amount of food available to prevent overfeeding and reproduce more natural conditions - they wouldn't even get half this amount of protein in the wild.
Picture 4 is Leela herself, as clearly recognizable by the missing antenna and pink mark on her thorax. This picture was taken during one of her few trips outside the nest. Even though she's stopped gathering resources weeks ago, she still likes having some time for herself away from family chaos from time to time. Totally relatable tbh. Aging is really starting to show on her. She's not as sharp and reactive as she used to be. Her grip over the small society is weakening, just today I saw a worker laying an egg! (Cue shocked noises)
Picture 5 is a male. The colony has officially started male production. Most of the developing brood from now on will be represented by males. So far, I've counted five, but two died. One hatched deformed, while another drowned in the water bowl. The three remaining males are being attacked by workers and chased off the nest, which is typical behavior in this stage: males are just a drain on the resources of a growing colony. I managed to catch and release two of them. One came back and perched on my window, allowing me to get this shot before flying off into the blue.
The start of male production is a sign that the colony is nearing its peak. P.dominula has a rather short nesting cycle, spanning a bit less than five months on average. This is to prevent competition with other species which peak later in the season. Leela's colony is in the middle of its third month, meaning there's about six weeks to go before this little society dissolves. The latest weeks are also going to be the most interesting ones, because that's when new queens -the most important generation of all, as well as the entire point of Leela's existence- will make an appearance. But let's not get ahead of ourselves! Let's enjoy the journey, and thank you so much for reading this far.
I was too scared to wake her and startle her to get any closer for some more detailed pictures but wow!! She is HUGE!!!! I would assume this gal is the Queen, not sure why she would be away from her hive this late into the season. Any insights?
Location is the Netherlands. Could anyone confirm the ID of Ancistrocerus gazella? I think this because of the yellow band and yellow spots above it, but unsure whether that could also be the case for other Ancistrocerus
That's really all there is to it. I'm glad I found a sub that appreciates wasps. They're just neat little bugs.
giant wasp came into my work!! we have lots of doors open because its so hot, and lots of wasps fly in. im the unofficial bug catcher, as everyone else is to scared to go near them!
i always catch and release! she was able to go back to big chillin outside once these pics were taken. anyone know what species this is? never seen them in here before.
Relocated a wasp nest today. They were very docile and curious about what was going on. If these were the much larger and more agressive "red wasps," I'd have had a bad time lol