Not a bee at all. The >inch-long megabug, Sphex ichneumoneus, AKA the great golden digger wasp. An insect so big and colorful that even the least nature-inclined passerby gives notice. It looks big and bad but that's all a show. Like most of the world's 30,000 wasp species, it's pretty gentle unless handled roughly. When it's not sipping the nectar of sea holly (as in this photo) it's out collecting crickets, katydids, and grasshoppery things to provision their nests. A really great bug to welcome into the garden. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~#wasp #greatgoldendiggerwasp #pollinator #seaholly #found_on_flowers #macroworld_tr #macro_perfection #mat_macro #insects_of_our_world #bugs #bigwasp #kings_insects #macroclique #macro_x #pollinatorgarden #goodbugs #canon80d #raynoxdcr150 #canon60mmmacro