Greater Black Wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus) 5a

Sphex pensylvanicus is a digger wasp, a solitary and non-aggressive species that hunts many destructive insects and provides important pollinating duties.  The wasps themselves feed largely on pollen; the hunting is done to provide its larvae with food when they hatch in the chambers dug out for them, where paralyzed insects are placed for their meals.