Black Wasp
Facts About the Great Black Wasp
The great black wasp is not some science fiction movie creature. It is a real-life insect and an extremely large species of wasp. Also known as the katydid killer, this particular type of wasp can be up to 2 or 3 inches in length - pretty big for a wasp.
The great black wasp is natural to eastern and central North America, and it is one of the largest wasp species that dwells in the United States. These wasps are most often spotted in fields and meadows seeking the flowers that provide their nutrients. They feed on nectar or pollen and are generally non-aggressive and solitary beings.
Identifying a great black wasp is fairly easy, mainly because of their size. A normal wasp is generally less than 1 inch long, but this species can grow to anywhere from 1 to 3 inches. The body is dark black or blue-black in color. This wasp species can be easily distinguished from a bee if they are flying. A wasp will let their legs hang down, but bees fly with their legs drawn in close to their bodies.
This species of wasp is identified as a digger wasp, because of the interesting way they build their nests. A singular female wasp will dig a chambered burrow into the ground and place one egg in each chamber. While the adult wasps eat nectar and pollen, their young are fed large insects such as katydids or grasshoppers, hence the nickname of katydid killer. The parent wasp will paralyze the katydid with its sting and then place the large insect into the burrow for their young to feed on.
This kind of wasp is not an aggressive type of wasp, although their size can be intimidating when they are spotted close to home. They rarely sting and generally have to be swatted at or grabbed before they will strike back in self defense. Since their nests are singular and dug into the ground, there are no swarms of these giant wasps swooping down from trees to protect their nests.
Very infrequently, one of these large wasps will find its way into a garage or home. It is not a great idea to try and swipe them because they may sting if aggravated. Hitting them with a fly swatter is also not recommended because of their size. That will likely only make them mad and could result in a confrontation involving stinging. The best thing to do is turn off the lights in the house working from the back toward the door, where they will head toward the sunlight and leave without incident.
A sting from this type of wasp is no different from any other wasp sting. As long as there is no allergic reaction, there will be some swelling and slight pain that will go away in a few hours. If an allergy occurs, immediate medical attention is required.