This is a small black and yellow wasp approximately 3/8 inch or 10 mm in length. The eyes and head are all black. The thorax is black with a yellow “broken collar” behind the head and a short yellow line across the middle. The black abdomen has 4 discontinuous transverse bands. The legs are black on the femurs and yellow tibia and tarsii. The antennae are yellow at the base and brown towards the tip. The wings are brown. These wasps have the square-headed look.
This species is probably uncommon in mid-summer to late summer. It can be seen nectaring on flowers.
This solitary wasp is in the subfamily Crabroninae, true Square-headed Wasps, in the tribe Crabronini. They usually nest in the soft pith of twigs, partitioned into several cells. The female places paralyzed flies in the nest for the larva.
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