Grass-carrying Wasp (Isodontia elegans)

Species Spotlight

Grass-carrying Wasp: Grass-carrying wasp and its prey, a tree cricket

Grass carrying wasp with its prey: tree cricket

Isodontia elegans, the Grass-carrying Wasp, gets its name from the fact that females will carry grasses to line their above ground nests, often in hollow plant stems. These native wasps are unlikely to sting humans and are harmless to all except its prey, which consist largely of tree crickets. The tree crickets are packed into the nest to serve as food for the young. Adult wasps visit native plants for nectar.