Brown-legged Grass-carrying Wasp

Isodontia auripes · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Sphecidae

Also called: Brown-legged Grass-carrier

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Brown-legged Grass-carrying Wasp
Photo: Annika Lindqvist, CC BY

It commonly preys on the cricket genus Oecanthus throughout its range. Its larvae feed for three days before spending two days as pupae.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

Feeds on Oecanthus crickets.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

Larvae eat for three days then pupate for two days.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Native to the east coast of the United States.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 32 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Florida, Virginia, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Maryland.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Brown-legged Grass-carrying Wasp photo 3
Photo: Lee Ann Ratledge, CC BY
Brown-legged Grass-carrying Wasp photo 4
Photo: Thomas Koffel, CC BY
Brown-legged Grass-carrying Wasp photo 5
Photo: Bill Keim, CC BY
Brown-legged Grass-carrying Wasp photo 6
Photo: Louise Woodrich, CC BY

Same family (Sphecidae)

Yellow-legged Mud-dauber WaspYellow-legged Mud-dauber WaspSceliphron caementariumCan stingCommon Blue Mud-dauber WaspCommon Blue Mud-dauber WaspChalybion californicumCan stingGreat Golden Digger WaspGreat Golden Digger WaspSphex ichneumoneusGreat Black Digger WaspGreat Black Digger WaspSphex pensylvanicusCan stingGold-marked Thread-waisted WaspGold-marked Thread-waisted WaspEremnophila aureonotataMexican Grass-carrying WaspMexican Grass-carrying WaspIsodontia mexicana

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isodontia_auripes

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.