Freaky Big Bug on the Window

[Finn]

There's an insect that has been flying around the atrium all night, climbing up and down the windows. My fiancee and I tried to figure out what it is. I tried checking enature.com but it was useless.

It kinda looks like a HUGE ant, an inch long body reddish brown and tan, with a 2-3 inch stinger-like tail. It's winged. The wings each has a black band.

Here's the best picture I have from my iPhone. The stinger thing isn't visible but it's twice as long as the body.

 

[Squiggy]

Next time...stand farther back, or center on the thing you're actually taking a picture of. We're focused on your grill.

Nice grill!

 

[Finn]

I apologize for the bug moving around while I tried to get a close up of it.

 

[Briquettes]

It kind of looks like a Great Golden Digger Wasp.

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&...tle&resnum=4&ved=0CC0QsAQwAw&biw=1680&bih=869

 

[JonathonWally]

I like the flamingo.

 

[Finn]

^Color looks right, but wrong body proportions

 

[STR]

The thing on its butt cannot be a stinger. Some kind of in-flight stabilizer, or false antennae is more probable.

Looks like a Ichneumon, a member of the wasp family, but only loosely. It's not social, doesn't sting, and the females have long egg ducts like you describe.
http://www.google.com/images?q=Ichneumon&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1280&bih=683

 

[Finn]

^Thank you!

 

[Miss Chicken]

A photo I took of an ichneumon

 

[Angela 0077]

Geez you were lucky it wasnt a wasp those things sting repeatly and all the other wasps jion in too.

At least it was outside and it is good it doesnt sting

i hate huntsmen when they come inside the house they are so big and hard to kill
But they do get rid of flys

 

[Miss Chicken]

Why would you want to kill a huntsman - they are harmless?

 

[Angela 0077]

Yes they are harmless to a certain point but they can fight if cornered

Have you seen these buggers in the countryside they can grow quite big

 

[Miss Chicken]

Even the biggest huntsman is small compared to me. I used to keep them as 'pets' when I was a child. They are very placid and if you 'corner' them all you need to do is walk away and leave them to get rid of your flies.

 

[melancholymecha]

I like the flamingo.

thats actually a heron

have no idea about the bug

kinda reminds me of the black ensign wasps we get here(yes thats really its name.)

 

[STR]

Geez you were lucky it wasnt a wasp those things sting repeatly and all the other wasps jion in too.

Please. I grew up surrounded by hornets and yellow jackets. They rarely sting more than once, despite their ability, and the worst part is the fact the sting site itches for a couple days. Bees are far worse, first you have to pull the stinger out, and it itches far more intensely than wasps because the severed stinger pumps far more venom into you.

You generally have to be doing something dumb to provoke an attack anyway. Just leave them be, and they'll ignore you like most insects.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Next time...stand farther back, or center on the thing you're actually taking a picture of. We're focused on your grill.

Nice grill!

I have the same grill.

 

[vampgrrl]

The Mist?

 

[Holdfast]

Next time...stand farther back, or center on the thing you're actually taking a picture of. We're focused on your grill.

Nice grill!

... the plastic bird, on the other hand...