Please help with bug ID

9 years ago

Sorry no pictures, it got away.

My first impression was giant mutant yellow-jacket. More of the golden brown than yellow. Flying. Antennae like a wasp, feet like a wasp (legs? whatever). Nearly transparent wings.

The body part was shaped like a wasp, and moved like a wasp's does, but that part alone was over an inch long. It was pointed like a wasp's body and had the yellow and brown bands of color going around it, but more of the reddish brown than the yellow, The whole thing was about an inch and a half long, not including antennae.

It was trapped in the screened in patio, flying around in the same pattern over and over, crashing into the screen repeatedly, even after I opened the door so it could get out. So it doesn't have a good navigation system. It didn't land on the screen, but on the glass of the window. I didn't know if a wasp could land on glass.

Looking at pictures, it resembles a paper wasp a little, but the wings were wider and folded over the back like a cockroach will fold theirs. shudder. I didn't have as defined a waist as a wasp. And it was BIG!

Now, after looking at bug pictures, I have to go get the bug itchies off me. Can anyone take a guess?

Did I mention that it was big?

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Comments (12)

newtoucan
9 years ago
I just saw one too. It was big. Was trying to get away from it. Wasp and hornet like. Didn't get pictures because I was running the other way. Never seen it before.
ernie85017, zn 9, phx
Original Author
9 years ago
Has anyone else noticed that there are a lot of bugs around now that were not a few years ago?

Ex: Those brilliant shiny dark blue flying beetle things - gorgeous, even for a bug. All kinds of new bugs.

Toucan, thanks, you made me feel validated. Someone please identify this thing!
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ernie85017, zn 9, phx
Original Author
9 years ago
Anyone out there with an ID?
newtoucan
9 years ago
Caught this spider and beetle battling it out. I'm the end a human broke up the fight to both their demise.
campv 8b AZ
9 years ago
Tarantula wasp????
aztreelvr
9 years ago
I'll bet you saw a cicada killer. They are about an inch and a half long and the females are great diggers, creating little mounds in the soil with a small hole in the center. They rarely sting. You may see them flying low to the ground searching for cicadas.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cicada killer
ernie85017, zn 9, phx
Original Author
9 years ago
aztreelvr you win! yay! confetti!

Strange I have never seen one before. They are welcome to eat any and all cicadas; they wound my trees with their egg planting.

What spider is that which was wresting the beetle? Big .. and scary.

This year there are so many of what I am assuming are daddy longlegs.
newtoucan
9 years ago
My his is similar to what I saw, except body was much fatter.
newtoucan
9 years ago
This is similar to what I saw, except body was much fatter.

{{!gwi}}
aztreelvr
9 years ago
Toucan, we have the Western Cicada Killer here so it's slightly different that the one you pictured.

Ernie, the spider could be a wolf spider or giant crab spider. Both are excellent hunters and harmless to people, althought their size often startles folks.

Here is a link that might be useful: Giant crab spider
lazy_gardens
9 years ago
The brilliant green beetles are "fig beetles" ... native SW species.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figeater_beetle

And yes, that OMGITSBIG!!!!! wasp thingy is a cicada killer. Impressively huge, but single-minded about hunting and hauling cicadas back to their nests. they are not likely to sting unless you grab it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphecius_grandis
ernie85017, zn 9, phx
Original Author
9 years ago
fig beetles. Now I know what they are called.