Never seen before
Location: Macomb County, MI
September 25, 2011 3:10 pm
I’ve never seen this before. Do you know what kind of bug it is and is it dangerous?
Signature: Thank you very much. Ken
Hi Ken,
This Pigeon Horntail is a harmless Wood Wasp. What appears to be a formidable stinger is actually an ovipositor that the female uses to penetrate wood to lay her eggs. Any human less dense than wood could potentially be penetrated by a female Wood Wasp, though we have never received a report of that occurrence. We have gotten some nice recent photos of Giant Ichneumons, which are the primary predator of the Pigeon Horntail.
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination