Will this one sting you?

There are thousands of species of wasp across the world. In North America and subsequently Missouri, there are a great number of small wasps that are generally ignored by people. Those small wasps are, for the most part, too tiny to make a sting that can break your skin, and they are no threat to man.

The wasp I photographed here is seeking nectar from the goldenrod flower it was crawling on. It is slightly smaller than a common red wasp and is much more docile. It is a solitary wasp called a spider wasp, a spider-hunting wasp or a pompilid wasp.

The spider-hunting wasp carries venom it uses to sting and paralyze spiders, such as the wolf spider and the jumping spider. If this wasp is provoked, it may defend itself by stinging you. I have never been stung by one, but my research claims that its sting is rated to hurt as bad or worse than any other stinging wasp. Hands off!