Subject: Unusual Metallic Wasp?
Location: San Juan Islands, WA USA
April 26, 2014 9:49 am
This guy was hanging out on my front steps in March. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. The wings were silver, metallic, and shiny, the head was yellow and feathery or dusty looking. It looked wasp-like. It seemed unresponsive, might have been dead. It was about 1-2 inches long.
Signature: Scarlett
Hi Scarlett,
We are posting your image and letter while we continue to researching the identity of this Hymenopteran, a member of the order that includes wasps, bees and sawflies.
Request to Eric Eaton
Hi Eric,
This looks like a Sawfly to me, but I cannot find its identity. Any
thoughts?
Thanks
Daniel
Eric Eaton Responds
Daniel:
Good call. It is indeed a sawfly, likely a species of Dolerus, almost completely covered in flower pollen.
Eric
Ed. Note: See BugGuide for information on Dolerus Sawflies.