Subject: Large Bee wasp bug
Location: Pacific northwest southern region
August 3, 2014 1:06 pm
This is 1 and 1/4 inch long bug. Makes chirping noise when threatened with like scorpion rear extension. Thanks for your help.
Signature: Jo
Dear Jo,
Though it is easily mistaken for a wasp or bee, this Lion Beetle, Ulochaetes leoninus, is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae. According to the Introduction to California Beetles by Arthur V. Evans & James N. Hogue: “The Lion Beetle … looks and behaves just like a bumblebee, even attempting to sting with its ovipositor. When disturbed, the Lion Beetle raises its abdomen forward over its back while flapping its wings, reinforcing its bee-like appearance.” Your individual is a female. Male Lion Beetles have much longer antennae.
Thank you, it does want to do that stinging thing. Jo