20 Jul Unsung Pollinators come in all shapes and sizes
Over the last few years I have been gaining more appreciation for beneficial invertebrates and unsung pollinators. I think it is safe to say that most of us start with some basic knowledge and appreciation of certain insects, but we learn fear and even revulsion for most. For example, butterflies and honeybees are generally considered to be “good” while anything else is suspect.
I willingly admit that my understanding and acceptance of different beneficial (and even neutral) insects is an ongoing project. It all starts with my willingness to learn about them. I find that it’s harder to feign indifference or outright hostility when I know more about someone or something. And, after I spent time and effort a few years ago to learn more about wasps, it has gotten easier to calmly observe other wasps and wasp-like creatures.
My learned instinct from my youth is still hard to suppress. The fear that I might get stung will probably never fully go away. But it is a healthy thing to acknowledge that wasps and other insects will do what they must to protect themselves. It is even healthier to recognize the difference between presence and aggressive intent.
Grass-carrying wasp pulls nesting material into metal pipe – image R. Faux
An unsung pollinator, the grass-carrying wasp
I was doing some small-engine maintenance and I noticed a slender wasp with purple wings fly by me. At first, I thought it had an exceptionally long stinger, or maybe an ovipositor (egg laying tube). And, to my credit, I didn’t flinch too much as it flew past my face on the way to a box that held various metal tubing.
Curious, I watched as it landed and entered the tube. That’s when I realized it was carrying a dried blade of grass. Since it didn’t come back out immediately, I left to get the camera so I could try to capture an image or two. I was hopeful this wasn’t a single trip or its last trip as it was setting up a nesting spot for a future generation.
Happily, I was able to observe as the wasp emerged without the blade of grass. Then, not long after, it returned with another addition for its nest. This time I was ready with the camera.
The blade of grass was twice as long as the insect, but this did not seem to cause it much difficulty. On this particular trip, the blade was lined up in parallel with its body and it maneuvered into the next cavity easily. But, as I noticed later, not every trip went smoothly and there was some problem solving required to line the grass up with the nest’s entry point. I even noticed that it dropped what it was carrying at least once.
Everyone, I’d like to introduce you to the grass-carrying wasp (Isodontia mexicana).
This particular wasp has a beautiful purple sheen to its wings and is often observed as they industriously build a nest for its young. These are predatory, solitary wasps. The females will hunt prey (typically tree crickets) and will often bring them to the nests so the young have sustenance later.
Grass-carrying wasps are a type of thread-waisted wasp that show a preference for plants with white flowers. We’ve seen them on a plant we call thousand-flower asters (Boltonia) and on the various goldenrod at our farm. Nectar from flowering plants help feed the adults and their visits can effectively promote pollination.
These wasps are not aggressive. I suppose if I tried to hold one in my hand and keep it captive, it might feel like it had no choice but to sting. Otherwise, it’s more interested in building a nest, or finding some food, than it is in me. Yes, you heard it here first, it isn’t all about me.
Supporting different pollinators and predators
While I did not intend for that bucket of metal tubing to become a nesting spot for a wasp, it did cause me to reflect on the things I was doing and other things I could be doing to support insects like the grass-carrying wasp. In the wild, they will use hollow plant stems for their nests. In a world where humans have built things up, Grass-carrying wasps may select anything that has the right size and shape. For example, I’ve seen their nests in the track of a storm window.
The formula for these beneficial insects is similar to others we hope to see in our landscape. They need food sources and they need habitat that includes nesting spaces. At our farm, we try to accomplish that by having a wide range of flowering plants that provide an extended bloom time. We maintain untilled ground and wild spaces. There are even areas we have identified for brush piles that provide shelter for everything from praying mantids to more of our wasp friends.
Oh, and we’ll be leaving that bucket of tubing where it is until the new generation emerges. And, maybe, next year, we’ll cut some bamboo poles and tie them into a bunch and see if we can encourage more of them to nest next year.
If you would like to learn about more different pollinators, let me encourage you to read this blog on PAN’s website. This is the third in a series of articles for Pollinator Week 2026. You can find our first entry here and our second entry here.