Tuesday, May 4, 2010

sand wasp

Twin Harbors State Park, Washington
August 14, 2008

Love the beautiful yellow legs! There were several in the area and they seemed to be nesting in the sand. I have no idea what it is.

ps 08/04/10 - Maybe a sand wasp (Bembicini) in the genus Bembix? I started looking again for an ID thanks to Bug Eric's blog post.

ps 07/22/13 - I originally posted this as an unknown solitary bee.  After looking for another wasp, I'm fairly confident this is a Bembix sp. wasp.  This got me thinking, what is the difference between a bee and a wasp?  From a quick search, bees feed on pollen and nectar and wasps are predators or parasites.  Without observing their feeding behavior and just looking at the body, bees are hairier and wasps are less so.  Something for me to keep in mind next time.