Subject: Some Type of wasp or hornet
Geographic location of the bug: Ontario, Canada
Date: 06/26/2018
Time: 11:34 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: I came across this type of hornet that I had not seen before and looked up in a big identification website but nothing there was similar to this particular one.
How you want your letter signed: Hornet identification for Chuck
Dear Chuck,
Though it looks very convincingly like a hornet or wasp, this Lilac Borer, Podosesia syringae, is actually a moth in the family Sesiidae, whose members are very convincing wasp mimics, including this Sycamore Borer. Here is an image from BugGuide that supports our identification. According to BugGuide: “Larvae bore in the limbs and trunk of various Oleaceae, including ash (Fraxinus), lilac (Syringae), olive (Olea), privet (Ligustrum) and fringetree (Chionanthus). It can be a serious pest in commercial plant operations.” This is a new species for our site.