Subject: 1.5 to 2 inch bug hovering over garden
Geographic location of the bug: Allentown, Pennsylvania
Date: 08/29/2019
Time: 02:02 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: We’ve got a serious Spotted Lantern fly invasion over here. As I swatted a few out in the back porch I happened to see something hovering and then landing on a flower plant in my garden. I was shocked to see what looked like a giant wasp or hornet. It was about 1.5 to 2 inches in length. I searched for the slim waist to identify if it was a wasp but it was think all over with large dark eyes. I ran in my house to get the phone to snap a picture. After a few unclear shots I crouched a bit to get a better shot and it saw me and flew like a flash to scope out where I was. I jetted outta there lol and fearfully stood behind my screen door watching it until it flew away. I searched online but could not find any-bug similar. Can you help me identify it.
How you want your letter signed: Best Regards Prisilla
Yellowjacket Hover Fly
Dear Prisilla,
Your account of your encounter with this Yellowjacket Hover Fly is riveting. Though it mimics a stinging insect for protection, the Yellowjacket Hover Fly is perfectly harmless. Here is a BugGuide image for comparison. Your individual is also a male, so it might have been staking out territory where it might find a suitable mate. According to BugGuide: “Flies aggressively and buzzes like a hornet. In the south, sometimes called the ‘[good] news bee’ for its habit of hovering in front of a person ‘giving the news’. It is also said to be good luck if one can get the insect to perch on a finger, no doubt because this is difficult to do.”
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