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Horntails, Wood Wasps and SawfliesWhat species of Wasp (?) is this?
July 25, 2009
I found this huge wasp-looking insect in my car, it is over an inch long and has a pure black body, and yellow bands on its legs. It has a huge thick stinger, I have never seen this insect before and would like to know what it is.
Lauren B.
Canada, British Columbia
Wood Wasp
Hi Lauren,
This is a Wood Wasp in the genus Urocerus, probably Urocerus albicornis based on images posted to BugGuide. Your Wood Wasp may look fierce, but she cannot sting, not only because she is dead, but because what looks like a stinger is actually the ovipositor for laying eggs within wood.
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Comments 1
I found a bug just like that today in a log I split, it was 5″ in and was alive. it looks just like Laurens bug but it has bright yellow legs and a dark green metalic body at an inch and a half long. the thing is spokie looking for sure and I think it would shoot fire at me if I let it out of the jar.
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