I found this on my deck last EEK! what is it though? this thing is huge. I have never seen anything like it. And it is aggressive this morning. Last night it wasn't so much so, I nudged it into a jar to keep an eye on it before I killed or released it. I will call the county extension office today before deciding.. or maybe the OARDC. maybe they will want it. it is so heavy I can hear it if it falls off the glass while climbing up the side trying to escape. ...gad zooks!
Looks like a cicada killer wasp (Sphecius speciosus ). They are solitary and beneficial. I would not kill it. These are interesting beasts to read about.
this thing is huge. I am not thinking it is a good wasp. It is aggressive this morning. As I walk past it it keeps its abdomen pointed at me. I called the entomologist in our county and am awaiting a call back. Maybe I will have my daughter take up to the office for them to identify. It is unbelievably huge. in the first picture it looks hunkered down as if it is trying to get to my fingers. in this photo i put a quarter in the jar (which it really was nasty then).
I am leaning towards Hornet with Eileen. Photos I have found show that the yellow bands are spaced with black bands on the Cicada killer but they are close together on the Hornet like your photo. Cicada killers really could care less about humans but the Hornet will get aggressive on short notice and just because.
I don't think it is a cicada killer... their abdomens are narrower and have whit on them.. not marked like the yellow jacket looking thing I found. it holds its wings spread out not over its abdomen as the cicada killer seems to. We took it to the extension office for them to identify and I will find out later what it is, I guess. No one was there to ID it when Caity dropped it off.
It is also considered a beneficial wasp... Thanks Philip.. yes what a nice "gift". thanks ever so much whomever put this in a crate and sent it over.
I hate wasps. Last year we had a few Bald face wasps around our hummer feeder. They are big, aggressive, and the Hummers where staying clear of them. I was able to quickly take down the feeder and then when they came back I sprayed them with wasp spray. We often have so many paper wasps flying around the east side of our home come mid-summer to late fall.We can't use our upper deck during this time. When you walk out our lower door you have to be careful that they don't fall on you as they are fighting with each other. I HATE THEM TO PIECES!
