Sanborn's Beewolf

Philanthus sanbornii · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Crabronidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Sanborn's Beewolf
Photo: Owen Strickland, CC BY

Male Sanborn's beewolves are about 12 to 14 mm long, while females are roughly 14 to 17 mm long. This species occurs in North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Males measure 12 to 14 mm and females 14 to 17 mm in length.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Sanborn's beewolf is found across North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 26 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Minnesota, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Indiana, Michigan, New Hampshire.

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

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Sanborn's Beewolf photo 2
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0
Sanborn's Beewolf photo 3
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0
Sanborn's Beewolf photo 4
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0
Sanborn's Beewolf photo 5
Photo: Michelle Orcutt, CC BY

Same family (Crabronidae)

Eastern Cicada-killer WaspEastern Cicada-killer WaspSphecius speciosusCan stingOrgan-pipe Mud-dauber WaspOrgan-pipe Mud-dauber WaspTrypoxylon politumCan stingAmerican Sand WaspAmerican Sand WaspBembix americanaEuropean beewolfEuropean beewolfPhilanthus triangulumHump-backed BeewolfHump-backed BeewolfPhilanthus gibbosusCan stingOrnate-tailed Digger WaspOrnate-tailed Digger WaspCerceris rybyensis

Sources

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

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

Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.

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.