Knowledgebase

What is this bee? It's huge. #880321

Asked August 05, 2024, 6:03 PM EDT

Bee ID

Columbia County Oregon

Expert Response

It is definitely a solitary non-stinging wasp in the family Sphecidae. Without a closer look at the abdomen its hard to know if it is the Great Golden Digger Wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus) or the Elegant Grass-carrying Wasp (Isodontia elegans), although I suspect the former.
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/85362-Sphex-ichneumoneus
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/300137-Isodontia-elegans

Andony Melathopoulos, Assistant Professor Pollinator Health Extension Department of Horticulture | Oregon State University 4017 Agricultural and Life Science Building | Corvallis, OR 97331-7304 cell: (541) 452-3038 Andony.Melathopoulos@oregonstate.edu oregon bee atlas | oregon bee project | twitter | facebook | instagram | podcast Replied August 07, 2024, 8:29 PM EDT

This work is supported in part by New Technologies for Ag Extension grant no. 2020-41595-30123 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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