Mystery bug?

[Brodybreaux25]

Any idea what this flying insect is? Never seen one of these in Southeastern Louisiana. Looks like a mayfly but not a close match...

 

[nightanole]

Some version of a mayfly?

 

[AZChamFan]

Ichneumon Wasp

 

[Spyro]

These are the giant ichneumonid wasps. They use that long ovipositor to bore into tree trunks and other wood and lay eggs on beetle larvae feeding on the tree. They won't sting you and are considered good.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

My veiled was doing his best to get after him this morning, that's how I first noticed him. Does it have a real stinger of just that egg laying tube?

 

[Brodybreaux25]

These are the giant ichneumonid wasps. They use that long ovipositor to bore into tree trunks and other wood and lay eggs on beetle larvae feeding on the tree. They won't sting you and are considered good.

Awesome, toxic?

 

[Twitchet]

What a beautiful creature!

 

[AZChamFan]

Hey Twitchet I hope you don't mind if I share this gorgeous painting you did of an Ichneumon Wasp! Stunning..... and rarely does one have the opportunity to see the full details and mechanics of the ovipositor like your painting shows.

 

[Twitchet]

Noooooo!!!!!

No I don't mind at all, I just hope I got it right
I watched many YouTube videos of these wasps laying their eggs to try and understand them, one showed a mass gathering of females for an egg laying session in a beetle larva infested rotten tree, and I researched these amazing insects as much as I could but the mechanics of them, as you say, are very complicated.

 

[Sloppysponge]

Wow! Crazy!

 

[Brodybreaux25]

I recently stepped up my bsfl production significantly, think that could be the reason for the sudden appearance?

 

[Spyro]

Noooooo!!!!!

No I don't mind at all, I just hope I got it right
I watched many YouTube videos of these wasps laying their eggs to try and understand them, one showed a mass gathering of females for an egg laying session in a beetle larva infested rotten tree, and I researched these amazing insects as much as I could but the mechanics of them, as you say, are very complicated.

Amazing painting!!!

 

[Brodybreaux25]

I bet @Andee will know.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

I bet @Andee will know.

I think we have the ID right, I'm just curious about toxicity. Very few posts on them.

 

[Andee]

What am I supposed to know? Toxicity or id?

 

[Andee]

They are a wasp species, so whether they can sting or not (which I am pretty sure males still can even if the females can't) they can still cause a nasty bite. As far as toxicity... I don't thing bee or wasp toxicity is something to worry about are far as ingestion, if they are stung or bit however it can cause some nasty infections.

 

[Spyro]

they are not toxic.

 

[Franquixote]

Yup Ich. wasp mentioned above- only reason I am chiming in is because in the future if you go to bugguide.net someone there will usually ID any insect in 15 minutes.
I happen to have an awesome photo of one of these wasps, check out my submissions (giant local hornworms too!):

http://bugguide.net/node/view/21928

http://bugguide.net/node/view/33282

http://bugguide.net/bgimage/user/2250

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Th

Yup Ich. wasp mentioned above- only reason I am chiming in is because in the future if you go to bugguide.net someone there will usually ID any insect in 15 minutes.
I happen to have an awesome photo of one of these wasps, check out my submissions (giant local hornworms too!):

http://bugguide.net/node/view/21928

http://bugguide.net/node/view/33282

http://bugguide.net/bgimage/user/2250

Thanks, I'll book mark that one

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Yup Ich. wasp mentioned above- only reason I am chiming in is because in the future if you go to bugguide.net someone there will usually ID any insect in 15 minutes.
I happen to have an awesome photo of one of these wasps, check out my submissions (giant local hornworms too!):

http://bugguide.net/node/view/21928

http://bugguide.net/node/view/33282

http://bugguide.net/bgimage/user/2250

Got another one for you, I can't get those links to work. Caught this yesterday evening in my vegetable garden in southeast Louisiana. It's looks like it's half moth and half dragonfly?!?