Have they reached your state yet?

About 3 years ago, I was walking up a clients driveway, and a tiny Red Baron flew right at my head. Or at least, something with a lot of red in it, about 3" long, and that sounded like a prop aircraft.

I think I posted about it then, because I found an expired one a few days later.

I'm out in Littleton on a job, and damn if I didn't get divebombed on my way to the basement.

These things are HUGE, almost as big as a hummingbird. Thankfully I've only seen solitary ones, and never pissed it off.

Have Tarantula Wasps here, quote from "Sting" in link: "One researcher described the pain as "...immediate, excruciating, unrelenting pain that simply shuts down one's ability to do anything, except scream."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula_hawk

I haven't noticed any giant hornets. Once I had a hummingbird moth come at me. Had no freaking idea what it was and it was yellow jacket color. Scared the shit out of me until I found out what it was.



Just last week I found the nest of a grass carrying wasp above my kitchen window. I had opened the window (the double window that opens out type) and a bunch of dry grass fell down. I looked and saw a bunch of grass in the gap and a wasp flew out. Never heard of these before either. Had to google it. Cleaned out the nest and man it had a lot of grass shoved in there.

https://ento.psu.edu/extension.../grass-carrying-wasp

European hornet.
Hate the things.
We're infested with them here in Georgia.
Marzy and I blasted away a small nest of them with 22s.




Link to original video: https://youtu.be/Ygc3yfT6EMQ

quote:

Originally posted by rizzle:
Have Tarantula Wasps here, quote from "Sting" in link: "One researcher described the pain as "...immediate, excruciating, unrelenting pain that simply shuts down one's ability to do anything, except scream."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula_hawk

I think he was lucky that's all it did!

"They are parasitoid wasps, using their sting to paralyze their prey before dragging it to a brood nest as living food; a single egg is laid on the prey, hatching to a larva which eats the still-living prey."

Sounds like a Cicada Killer.

 
Do they look like this? I know you said hornet, and this is a wasp, so if this is not it I would like to see a picture of them. Just what we need here in AZ, another nasty. This is a tarantula hawk, large like you described, but I've never noticed any aggressive behavior towards humans here.
 

 

quote:

Originally posted by ScreamingCockatoo:
European hornet.

Yep, these.

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:
Sounds like a Cicada Killer.

No, those are also creepy, but haven't seen one in a long time.

European hornets are all over the place here as well,

never been stung (thankfully) but have them around my shop,

had a nest in the eaves of the house I grew up in, right next to my bedroom,


we get them in the shop on occasion, they buzz around the florescent lights until we swat them with something,

European hornets are big nasty brutes, but are clumsy and a lot easier to kill than Bald Faced hornets, or Yellwjackets.

When I lived in Alabama, there was a nest of the bastards in a nearby tree. Their flight pattern took them over my deck...almost like at a major airport. I got bored one day and stood on the deck swinging a badminton racket at them. Must have killed 50-60 of the things. Dumb and clumsy.

They aren't fast, and if any insect should be wearing an early flight helmet and scarf, it's these.

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:
Once I had a hummingbird moth come at me.

Thanks I never knew what they were. We had them in Charleston SC when I was in the Navy. I couldn't tell what they were and they creaped me out.

quote:

Originally posted by braillediver:

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:
Once I had a hummingbird moth come at me.

Thanks I never knew what they were. We had them in Charleston SC when I was in the Navy. I couldn't tell what they were and they creaped me out.

saw my first one a year or so ago,

was sitting on the porch with my mother when we thought it was a hummingbird, but it moved too slow,

buzzed all around us hitting various flowers , looked it up and found out it was a hummingbird moth,

neat creatures

Coulda been a hover fly.
I saw one a few weeks ago and tried to snare it with a net.
No luck though.

The compound eyes would have set it apart from the hornets I've seen in the past. Naw, this was definitely a hornet.

I found something called a "sweat bee," that I've never seen. Bees that are metallic green and attracted to humans.

This sounds like a compelling reason to start carying that birdshot loaded Judge.

 
I am hoping, as they migrate westward, that they find the AZ climate inhospitable. We have enough nasties here already.
 

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:
Sounds like a Cicada Killer.

It’s this!^^^^^

Cicada killers and Eorupean hornets look nothing alike. The similarities end with the body type and flight. When Arc said they have red hairs on them, it clear he described a Euro.

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:
The compound eyes would have set it apart from the hornets I've seen in the past. Naw, this was definitely a hornet.

I found something called a "sweat bee," that I've never seen. Bees that are metallic green and attracted to humans.

sweat bees round here are mostly yellow, the look like a skinny smaller yellow jacket,
they will bite, but not as bad as a horse fly,


they are mostly a PITA,