Stump Stabber

Subject: Giant Wood Wasp??? Or not
Location: Northern Ontario
July 16, 2016 11:44 am
Real curious about the attached bug.
Found it flying they an open wooded area.
Was thinking it might be a Giant Wood Wasp but the long (5-6″)tail made us think otherwise.
Signature: Regards, Teshaun

Stump Stabber

Dear Teshaun,
This is a Giant Ichnuemon, Megarhyssa atrata, commonly called a Stump Stabber, and anyone who has ever watched a female Stump Stabber laying eggs might be fooled into thinking it is a Wood Wasp.  Wood Wasps, including the Pigeon Horntail, oviposit or lay eggs on dead and dying trees and the larvae are wood borers.  The Stump Stabber is a parasitoid whose larvae feed on the larvae of Pigeon Horntails.

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Location: Ontario, Canada