I found this wasp-like bug crawling out of the stem of my Madonna lily. The lily finished blooming last month and I had cut the seed pods off so it could feed through the leaves for next year's flowering. There is a hole drilled into the stem about two foot from the ground. I don't know if this bug made the hole or not.
Another picture of the bug. I haven't detected this in any of my other lilies. Yet.
One more pic. I'm afraid that it will hurt my lilies. I don't know what to do.
I took the other pictures a couple days ago. Today, it appears that something has sealed the hole in the lily stem. Could the bug have been laying eggs? If so, I'm afraid that the babies will be drilling into my other lilies to lay their eggs.
Any ideas?
This could be a leaf-cutter bee (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). They construct their nests in cavities, including hollow plant stems. This particular bee resembles those in the genus Coelioxys, whose members are kleptoparasitic on other megachilids - see http://www.cedarcreek.umn.edu/insects/album/025068024ap.html for images.
Thank you so much!
Yes, that definitely looks like it. As I look around that area, it seems there are lots of them in the bed of Zinnias.
There are so many different kinds of insects. I don't know how you figured it out but I'm very grateful.
