What is this bug on my sunflower leaf tonight......

Caspar

Hi
Does anyone know what this bug is, if it is poisonous or dangerous in anyway and if it will do any harm to the sunflower plant.  I left it where it was and thought someone on this forum might be able to identify it.  I have never in my life seen one before, so am intrigued.

pansyface

What you have there is a little bee or a little wasp of some kind. There are hundreds and hundreds of different little black insects with yellow stripes and it is very difficult to identify the right one without a lot of time and effort.

Here is a website that might help you to trawl through some of the more common ones and find yours.

https://www.naturespot.org.uk/gallery/bees-wasps-ants?page=2

Rest assured that whatever your little bee or wasp was doing it was doing no harm to you or your plants. 🙂

Caspar

pansyface said:

What you have there is a little bee or a little wasp of some kind. There are hundreds and hundreds of different little black insects with yellow stripes and it is very difficult to identify the right one without a lot of time and effort.

Here is a website that might help you to trawl through some of the more common ones and find yours.

https://www.naturespot.org.uk/gallery/bees-wasps-ants?page=2

Rest assured that whatever your little bee or wasp was doing it was doing no harm to you or your plants. 🙂

Thanks, I think what threw me was that I couldn't see any wings and it was quite chunky in shape, so thought it to be some sort of beetle, although wasp/bee like.  It was nice and shiny and lovely to look at. At my age was suprised I had never seen one before.  

Dovefromabove

I think its a Wasp Beetle ... https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/animals/beetles/wasp-beetle/ 

apparently they eat pollen, so a sunflower is the best restaurant in town 

pansyface

No, the wasp beetle‘s antennae are long, forward facing, bowed and droopy. The insect in question has typically short, angular and non floppy bee or wasp antennae.

The insect in question has the group of little singular eyes on the top of its head. The wasp beetle has none.



The insect in question has mouthparts of a bee or wasp.

The legs are the wrong colour.  

I think that the wings were just folded back and invisible.

The insect in question has a clear head, thorax, abdomen arrangement whereas the beetle’s head is smaller and almost part of the thorax.

Dovefromabove

I expect you're right @pansyface