giant wasp, hornet?
Location: ebbw vale, south wales
July 7, 2011 2:50 pm
Hi, I noticed this massive bug that landed on my car I wondered what it was. It looked like a massive wasp at first glance, and some people I showed the photo to said it was a hornet, although I am not convinced. Please help identify the bug. Regards Gareth
Signature: gareth
Hi Gareth,
This is a Horse Fly and she is a female, which means she is a blood sucker. Male and female Horse Flies can be distinguished by the eyes. The eyes of the male are closer together while the eyes of the female are separated. While we don’t know the exact species, we can tell you that Horse Flies are in the family Tabanidae. The UK Safari website has a nice general page with information.
Update: June 30, 2016
Today we posted an image of a male Horse Fly from the UK that we identified as a Dark Giant Horse Fly, Tabanus sudeticus, thanks to Influential Points. This appears to be a female Dark Giant Horse Fly.