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Bev Wigney | all galleries >> Galleries >> Wasp, Hornets & Sawflies > Great Black Wasp -- Sphex pennsylvanicus
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21-September-2004

Great Black Wasp -- Sphex pennsylvanicus

This is an almost unimaginably wonderful organism. With its jet black body and shimmering wings, it is quite a sight to behold. As I studied this creature, it slowly turned its head to regard me with such awareness and intelligence that one felt as though in the presence of a superior being.



PLEASE NOTE: FOR THOSE WHO ARE ASKING FOR INFORMATION ON HOW TO KILL THESE AND OTHER INSECTS, I DO NOT OFFER THAT KIND OF ADVICE IN MY INSECT PHOTO GALLERIES. THESE GALLERIES EXIST FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN INSECTS AND THEIR BEHAVIOUR, OR WHO WANT TO LEARN HOW TO IDENTIFY THE VARIOUS SPECIES. THESE GALLERIES DO NOT EXIST AS A RESOURCE FOR EXTERMINATOR COMPANIES. I REALIZE THAT EXTERMINATORS AND CHAT FORUMS ARE LINKING TO THESE IMAGES, BUT I ADVISE VISITORS TO POST THEIR DISCUSSIONS ABOUT EXTERMINATION ON THOSE FORUMS. SUCH COMMENTS HAVE NO PLACE ON MY GALLERIES. IN FACT, BECAUSE THE COMMENTS HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY IDIOTIC, I'VE DECIDED TO DISABLE COMMENTS TO ALL BUT PAID-UP MEMBERS OF PBASE.


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Bev Wigney30-Jul-2011 16:38
Mike and others - It is impossible for me to give advice on what to do with various wasps - whether to try to remove them - or how bad they sting. People react so differently to insect stings that one person might get a tiny bump and some burning, while someone else gets severe swelling, etc... Try to remember that I am a photographer. I am not a doctor. I am not in the pest control business. I am not an entomologist. It tales me time to identify my own photos. I am not able to identify everything that other people see and describe in these comments. There are places to post photos and ask for help with an ID - bugguide.com is a good website.
Bev Wigney25-Jul-2010 18:53
NOTE: DUE TO THE LARGE NUMBER OF IDIOTIC COMMENTS BEING LEFT ON THIS GALLERY, COMMENTS ON ALL OF MY GALLERIES ARE NOW RESTRICTED TO PBASE MEMBERS ONLY!!!
Bev Wigney25-Jul-2010 15:41
PLEASE NOTE: FOR THOSE WHO ARE ASKING FOR INFORMATION ON HOW TO KILL THESE AND OTHER INSECTS, I DO NOT OFFER THAT KIND OF ADVICE IN MY INSECT PHOTO GALLERIES. THESE GALLERIES EXIST FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN INSECTS AND THEIR BEHAVIOUR. I REALIZE THAT EXTERMINATORS AND CHAT FORUMS ARE LINKING TO THESE IMAGES, BUT I ADVISE VISITORS TO POST THEIR DISCUSSIONS ABOUT EXTERMINATION ON THOSE FORUMS AND NOT ON HERE. IN FACT, IF THIS KIND OF POSTING CONTINUES, I INTEND TO BEGIN *EXTERMINATING* THE COMMENTS LEFT IN MY PHOTO GALLERY.
Martha 22-Jul-2010 14:36
Martha
I live in Michigan I have a nest of these wasp under my deck were the wood meets the concrete and they are not friendly at all. We can't use the deck, when we conme out they (about 4 of them) start flying at us, as if to say, "this is our home go!) and that is not good. I've use several cans of Raid Wasp spray and they remain... how do you get rid of them? They also fly at the screen when we stand at the door watching... can't take to much more of them... HELP!
sara 16-Jul-2010 04:59
i live in a arartment and ever night for the past four night in my bedroom me and my hustband have been killing these type of black bees...we have no idea how they r getting in or what they r. can u give me some advice
Marcy 12-Jul-2010 17:34
I love these wasps. They are very friendly and fly around without bothering me in my large market garden. They land on sunflowers and walk around them looking for food. They come in my hoop house which always open, and fly around a lot. They are so beautiful. They are always welcome especially now that I know they are insect eaters!
Ali S 10-Jul-2010 02:20
I was out walking my dog this afternoon and saw this exact insect in Phoenix, Arizona. As I was walking by it caught my eye and at first I thought it was a very large black ant sitting on some flowers. That was strange, so I stopped and took a second look. Thank you for taking this picture. The wings are so straight and the insect appears very large. I did not hand around long but this is one intimidating looking creature.
Guest 24-Jun-2010 17:56
Damian~ central Kansas... i have one of these bad boys thats been hangin out in my garage and nearby area for the last week or so. Not very big maybe 1.5" 1.75" hard to estimate with as quick as it moves. hasn't really been bothering me much or showing much attitude. he's got in face a couple times but usually as i'm shutting down the lights and walking out the door in the evening. i don't think theres a nest in there yet but i noticed the crickets are gone! now if he'd just take out the paper wasps, i'd be satisfied!
Bev Wigney14-Jun-2010 20:34
I doubt they are normally living in your house as they are really an "outdoors" wasp that hunts and feeds outdoors. They're probably just getting in somewhere downstairs and end up in the upstairs as they keep going upwards trying to find a way out. A lot of insects do that when they accidentally end up inside of a building.
Brenda 14-Jun-2010 18:22
Get these in my upstairs guest bedroom (from time-to-time)often enough that I switched the guest bedroom downstairs and the office upstairs. How are they coming in? I thought it wast he old windows but we replacede them. Yesterday the windows were closed but this morning I found another one. Do I have a nest in my house? The door was shut so how does it continue to come in???
Mel from Co. 28-May-2010 18:07
, 2010Denver Co. May 28, 2010. I was out walking my Chihuahua, when I heard a loud buzzing maby 1/2 a foot away from me. I looked and swore it was a HUGE black bee, kept flying around and even scared my poor dog. I took off like a bat out of hell after seeing that thing.
Leigh 17-Oct-2009 02:42
Had my car window down, and arm hanging out a couple years ago. Nice summer day.
One of these went up my sleeve and stung me 2 times. I've been stung by bees a lot in my life, since for some reason I'm always in the wrong place, wrong time. Nothing compares to the sting of this wasp. Almost caused me to wreck my car, and seriously, didn't even let up for a LONG time. They are somewhat aggressive, but in this case, I just happened to pick one up in an unusual way.
I don't recommend it. Bumblebees are fairly painful. This type of wasp is a whole different ballgame.
Leigh 17-Oct-2009 02:10
Had my car window down, and arm hanging out a couple years ago. Nice summer day.
One of these went up my sleeve and stung me 2 times. I've been stung by bees a lot in my life, since for some reason I'm always in the wrong place, wrong time. Nothing compares to the sting of this wasp. Almost caused me to wreck my car, and seriously, didn't even let up for a LONG time. They are somewhat aggressive, but in this case, I just happened to pick one up in an unusual way.
I don't recommend it. Bumblebees are fairly painful. This type of wasp is a whole different ballgame.
Leigh 17-Oct-2009 02:04
Le
Guest 02-Sep-2009 23:01
Melanie
I'm from Hinsdale, Illinois and live on the 6th floor of a condo complex. The night of the great meteor shower, I went out on my balcony and saw this monster quietly sitting on my window pain. I immediately ran inside, closed the door before it could get in and pounded on the window pain so it would fly away. It just sat there staring at me. I woke up at 3 am hopefully to see the meteor shower and it was still in the exact same spot seemingly frozen on my window pain. Had nightmares and woke the next morning to glorious day sun pouring down on the spot the great black wasp had lited. Finally it had flown away. Oddly enough, last year about this exact same time I had a rose wasp (not sure it that is correct name)do the exact same thing. It camped out on my balcony window pain until the morning sun and flew off. It was about the same size as this black wasp (mine was about 2.5 inches long). Do you think I could have a special magnetic field on my window that happens only in late August and attracts prehistoric insects?(That's a joke!) I applaud all of you who trapped or killed this thing. Wow, is it SCARY, SCARY, SCARY!!!!!!
Renee 27-Aug-2009 02:56
I had the biggest black wasp/hornet in my car today. My 4 year old daughter was in the back seat and we were beginning to drive when she began screaming.. Mommy get me out of here its a bee. I stop the car and couldn't get out fast enough... I figured it was a yellow jacket or something. We are both terrified of bees. I got her out and looked for the bee and when I ever laid eyes on this thing I was in shock. It has to be 3 inches long and its wing span the same or better. There was a gentleman near by cleaning some windows and I asked him to please get this bee out of my car, it was the biggest bee I have ever seen in my life. He was pretty surprised when he saw it too and he managed to help it out of the car and we watched it fly away. What on earth? Please let me know if this is normal... and are there a lot of them?
Cynthia 17-Aug-2009 22:53
Hi, I work in a greenhouse and every year right around this time I see A Blackish blue wasp. They are very big, the biggest ive ever seen. The wierd thing is i see them carrying a lime green insect similar to a grasshopper that is almost,if not larger than the wasp. I would love to know what kind of wasp it is. If you could email that would be great. Thank-you
gtlees 14-Aug-2009 12:44
i think i seen a hornet tooday it had a black body with red legs if any 1 can cofirm this pease send me an e-mail mt addy i gtlees@hotmail.com it looked like the great black wasp with red legs i tried to get a photo of it but by time i got camra and got back in my garden it had gone.
Julie 13-Aug-2009 04:18
I have the Great Black Wasps living under my enclosed front porch. Unfortunately, they must have got in there through some cracks in the cement outside. We sealed the cracks, but this is the third year they have come back. The are crawling up the walls and getting into my front porch and my basement. How can I get rid of them??
nicole 23-Jul-2009 23:29
joe if it was me i would use putty or silicone to seel them in, but do it at night when they start to settle down!
Joe 19-Aug-2008 22:05
The black wasps have made a nest under my front stairs. The problem is my stairs are concrete and they enter through a small crack. How do I get rid of them?
Linda 08-Jul-2008 15:58
Alan,

How about taking it to the Agricultural Station. I bet there is someone at UCONN that could give you a positive ID.
Alan 08-Jun-2008 12:22
I live in Enfield Ct For the last two years these Black Wasps have been boring holes in my garage.I finaly captured one and have it preserved in a vial of alcohol waiting to find someone who can give it a possitive ID.Can anyone recomend a source?
Bev Wigney25-Sep-2007 13:03
Randy - That sounds pretty exciting! I've only seen a couple of them here this summer, but must keep an eye on the autumn asters.
Randy 25-Sep-2007 01:21
I have dozens of these in my yard in Saugus, MA. They love my purple (not Autumn Joy) sedum, as do about 10 or more kinds of other bees, from the tiniest sweat bees to the huge carpenter bees, and several butterflies. It is the most awesome display of entemology.
Bev Wigney10-Sep-2007 12:32
Linda - They certainly are large and beautiful wasps. I've seen a couple around my farm recently, but at times when I didn't have my camera in hand.
LINDA 10-Sep-2007 02:12
ONE of these somehow got into my work in Burlington, MA. What a beautiful thing! That was awesome.
Bev Wigney08-Sep-2007 14:22
Rick - From what I've read, this species is usually ground nesting. Here's a link to a wikipedia page on them. Your wasps may be something different.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digger_wasp
Rick 08-Sep-2007 13:56
I live in Agawam, Ma and I'm not sure ,but I believe I have these Black wasp building nest in my storm windows. For the last two years this time of year these black wasp like start filling the tracks of the storm windows with blades of dry grass. Is it possible these are Black Wasp or something else?
Bev Wigney02-Aug-2007 12:28
jason - It's neat that you got to see this type of behaviour. I'm not sure which species of wasp that was, but could have been a Sphex of some kind as they do carry prey to holes in the ground.
jason 01-Aug-2007 05:48
I was fishing and i saw something moveing on top of the water. It looked like this wasps.and it had a spider it looked like it was dead. and it come up on the rocks and carry it in a rock pile. by me it did it about four times a different spider each time.
Charlie Jennings 18-Aug-2006 00:40
Great Black Wasp! Yes! They have arrived in my butterfly garden this year. I live in Aurora, Illinois. They are attracted to a Hummingbird Mint plant that has 3-inch nectar stems which also attract other bees. But these things are fascinating. The ones here have light blue eyes. They're very aware of my presence and don't sit still. I was stung my one the other day while prunning (My fault) and my thumb has swollen up. They're very pretty insects, but nasty stingers.
Guest 23-Sep-2004 21:11
Great black wasp, Sphex pennsylvanicus, a predator of katydids.