Many of these flaming red bugs burrowing in my Northern New Mexico garden soil. All have wings. Im new to this area and have never aeen them before. Besides that nasty looking stinger, im wondering if they are a danger to my plant roots. Is it a wasp or ant?
These wasps pose no threat to your plants - they dig burrows in the soil that they provision with live but paralyzed insects that serve as food for their developing larvae.
Thank You. What kind of wasp are they? Im happy they are not some kind of exotic ants.
Thank You. What kind of wasp are they? Im happy they are not some kind of exotic ants.
Is this a Great Golden Digger, Flap? We have digger wasps. Ours are very large and dark. They can paralyze and drag some pretty big insects into their burrows, like cicadas and grasshoppers. Very interesting to watch. I place a few stones near the nests to avoid stepping on them. There are usually one or two somewhere in the tilled soil in the vegetable garden.
I can't say for sure, as I cannot see the abdomen clearly - great golden digger wasps usually have the tip of their abdomen quite dark.
