Wasps are closely related to bees and ants, and some can be difficult to distinguish from their cousins. In this case, the long body makes me pretty sure this is a wasp (though body length is not always a good cue), but I don’t know what kind of wasp it is.
A wasp on purple prairie clover. The Nature Conservancy’s Platte River Prairies, Nebraska.
Most wasps are parasitoids, which means they capture and paralyze prey with venom from their stinger and then feed that still living, but paralyzed, prey to their wasp larvae. Usually, wasps specialize on a particular group of invertebrates (spiders, cicadas, grasshoppers, etc.). As with most insect groups, wasps are more abundant than you might think, and if you really start looking for them, you’ll find them all over. Most are not aggressive toward people and will sting only if you force them into it.
While the larvae of parasitoid wasps feed on paralyzed invertebrates, adults feed on pollen and nectar, and are pollinators for many plants. The one in the above photo, for example, has pollen stuck all over its face and body.
