We have two huge wasps living in our yard this year. I'm sorry that I don't have a photo of them but I would love to know what they are. I have never seen a wasp this large before. They are about 2 inches from top of the head to tip of the wings. There is a lot of orange just below the head on the upper part of the body. The lower part of the body has alternating rings of yellow and black. The wings are noticeably longer than the body. The wings are black and they look like netting (you can see through them) and the solid structural parts of the wings are black as well.

The buzz these wasps make is extremely loud. They dart around the yard very fast - almost angrily. They live in holes in the ground. The opening of the holes is about 1/2 inch in diameter. It seems like the wasp makes multiple holes to get to his nest.

I've never been afraid of bees in our yard but truthfully, this bug is scarey! I feel the yard isn't big enough for the two of us!!! (They live in the ground near the side door, too!)

The good news is that we think they may be eating the catepillars that devour our petunias every year. They started being eaten then suddenly the munching stopped!

If anyone has any sense of what these wasps might be I'd greatly appreciate it.

Someone thought perhaps they were Golden Digger Wasps but the wings on those wasps are shorter than the body. The wings on our wasps are significantly longer than their bodies.

Thanks so much for your help!

Celtic_Rose