A Wasp is a Wasp!

This yellow not my Favourite Earl Plato

Ross Bears delivered his dead specimens in a plastic container. I had stood with Ross a few weeks earlier as he tried to capture some of the live wasp-like insects. Located at the base of an old apple tree on Ross’s parkland I watched as he tried in vain. No stinging resulted but Ridgeway’s horticulturist didn’t give up. I am looking at several dead specimens. They look differently from Paper wasps. Paper wasps are thin wasps that are black or dark brown with yellowish rings on their abdomen. Stokes Nature Guide says they are 3/8 to one inch long. No Paper wasps or Yellow jackets these specimens. What are they?
I measured them. Not quite twice the size of the Paper but 1 3/4 inch in length. What about the Hunting or Digging wasp? I think so.
I looked where its abdomen joined the thorax. Clue. Unlike the Paper wasp these specimens were joined together by a thin thread-like attachment. Another clue revealed by the magnifying glass was that Some of the six specimens had a comb-like digging configuration on the front legs. Hence the label “Digger.” Research told me that only the female Digger wasp has this peculiar structure. Conclusion Ross’s wasps were Digger wasps.
As one who has been stung by Yellow jackets many times avoid the females. They have a powerful sting and “the venom can cause intense pain.” How to tell female from male? That’s your problem. Do Digger wasps sting too? Ross Bearss and his dog say, “Yes!” These wasps help to control certain pest species. Respect wasps this fall. The cold may temporarily stupify them so be alert, eh.
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Hummingbird Hotline: Carl King of Fort Erie called, Sharon at the local Ridgeway drugstore told me, and my own daughter, Diane, corrected me. “Plato, where did you get the hummingbird mix?” Diane uses a sugar-water mix and no colouring at all. I wrote about a different mix. Sorry. Carl read in Songbirds in Your Yard that using honey as a sweetness source is not good for the little birds. It ferments and can be a cause of disease. Sharon has the trumpet flower plant that serves a s a great natural food source. My apologies to hummingbird lovers. Where did I get that honey based food mix reference?