Insect and Spider Identification: Bee / wasp thingy a new species of yellowjacket?, 1 by zzita

zzita wrote:
I hope not! We had a new species of them move into the area about ten years ago, and don't need another.

I apologize for the blurry pics. My phone camera was handy, but is not high-res.

Whatever this beastie is, it is a hunter. It seems to be looking for bugs, not pollen and nectar. But it seems to believe its prey are likely to be on snapdragon flowers -- last time i saw it, it was on another snapdragon plant.

It is not fuzzy, and not aggressive. Those are black marks on its body, not shadows. Thorax is black, and abdomen is yellow-and-black striped with a big shield-shaped black patch.

Any ideas? Thank you!