This is a common wasp in this area in the right habitat. They prefer open, sandy soil for nest building. The individual shown in photos A-D was photographed in the restored pollinator garden at the wetlands center on 2 Aug 2016. It was taking nectar from Swamp Milkweed. The individual shown in photos D-E was photographed at the nature center on 2 July 2017. Bembix americana is distributed widely throughout North America.

The females excavate nest tunnels in sandy soil. They provision their nest with flies which the larvae feed on (a single developing larva may eat more than twenty flies). Provisioning is progressive, i.e., the female continues to provision the nest with flies as the larva grows. Overwintering takes place in the last larval stage which is dormant and commonly termed the prepupa. Usually pupation occurs in the late spring and emergence in late summer. There are 21 species in the genus Bembix in North America.