Large wasps??

[Pinch]

Does anyone know what these might be...

I've noticed over the last few days around dusk, lots of large wasp type insects flying around a fir tree in our back garden. They're also flying around other trees in other people's gardens. This goes on until it's almost dark and then they're nowhere to be seen until the next evening at dusk. I haven't been up close to one (yet ) but their appearance is like a large wasp or bee, quite hairy and their flying appears to be docile. I don't know whether they are stingers or harmless.

I've tried researching the internet but I can't find anything.

Any ideas?

[mark270981]

Tachina fera

[thatsnotafestool]

Vampires?

[Pinch]

Tachina fera

Do they sting or bite?

[thatsnotafestool]

Google says no.

But vampires do, so go careful.

[Pinch]

Here's the video clip.



My wife has seen one of these creatures up close and she says it's definitely not a Tachina Fera - having googled pictures of one or several.

The Tachina Fera are apparently anything between 9 & 16mm. These flying chaps are more like 25-30mm and quite bulbous.

The video isn't brilliant but you'll get an idea of size and shape.

Looking forward to your thoughts.

[mark270981]

No idea get a long net and catch one? Then post the pic I'm quite intrigued

[Andys Woodshed]

Hornet maybe

[Pinch]

No idea get a long net and catch one? Then post the pic I'm quite intrigued

I don't have a net, but if I did, I would attach it to a 20' (min) pole.

I'm going to have a beer tonight and then brave it into the garden.

[Pinch]

Hornet maybe

Could be. Another chap from another forum thinks they could be giant hornets - going by the video clip.

I think it's strange they only appear around dusk, and for 20mins or so and then gone.

[sainty]

African killer bees? What with the jet stream pissing about, could be anything, baby pterodactyls?

[Andys Woodshed]

Hornet maybe

Could be. Another chap from another forum thinks they could be giant hornets - going by the video clip.

I think it's strange they only appear around dusk, and for 20mins or so and then gone.

If it was mid afternoon they might be ice cream hornets

[thatsnotafestool]

Could it be one of these ?

[Doug]

I may have had half a schooner of sherry, but it looks like a feckin leylandii to me

[jake]

Leylandii - all time classic thread - they're f**king pigeons you daft tw*t.

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3565&p=45959

[mrgrimsdale]

Might be cock-chafers.
A bit unseasonal but perhaps keep it covered. Beware of avin a slash near leylandii..

[cncpaul]

Might be cock-chafers.
!

I thought Bobby wears those.

[Pinch]

They were out again tonight (I think more too) and this time, one came quite close to the window and I got a good look at it - a giant wasp/hornet about 40-50mm long. Every hair on my body stood up!

I don't know what I can do. If they continue to only appear at twilight, I guess it's no prob. But if they start appearing through the day and increase in numbers, could become a big drama.

[mark270981]

Call pest control

[Pinch]

Call pest control

I don't know where they're nesting. They only visit the tree. The nest must be close by though.

[mark270981]

Pest control will find them for you

[Doug]

Every hair on my body stood up!

That`s not an image I wanted to go to bed thinking about


I`d phone the council & see if there have been any other reports of said beasts.

[Pinch]

Yes, you're right. I'll phone them tomorrow.

Cheers.

[Pinch]

Every hair on my body stood up!

That`s not an image I wanted to go to bed thinking about


I`d phone the council & see if there have been any other reports of said beasts.

Only arms and legs, neck too. Oh, I think my eyebrows have gone a bit strange as well.

[thatsnotafestool]

Hornet

http://www.naturenet.net/blogs/2007/06/ ... -or-is-it/

If anyone in your family is allergic to wasp stings then suggest you get pest control in ASAP.

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

[sainty]

there are some scary bugs out there -

http://www.cracked.com/article_15816_th ... world.html

[mrgrimsdale]

Our kids disturbed a hornets nest in Wales when they were little and one of them got multiple stings. He didn't like it but it didn't seem to bother him too much and he soon got over it. So some hornet stings aren't that toxic

[seanybaby]

Could it be one of these ?

Haha will that thing take me to 15000 feet?

[mark270981]

They are human bot flies as seen here

http://vimeo.com/4974886

[senior]

no..... not clicking that

[modernist]

How desperate have you got to be to use a human bot fly removal video to try to hook your man (see last post)

Otherwise truly terrifying, it doesn't happen in Derbyshire

[promhandicam]

The bot flies look just like Mango Worms - spent many an evening squeezing them out of our first dog when we were in Zaire. I've had a couple as have the kids. In Central Africa the mango flies lay their eggs on damp clothing which is why everything gets ironed - especially underwear. I remember on one famous occasion the resident mad American Peace Corps Volunteer, who refused to listen to advise, slept on a sheet that hadn't been ironed and ended up with dozens of them on her side. The trick with them is that once you've got them you have to wait until they are big enough and then they pop out quite easily - great if you like fishing as they are good fresh bait!

[Pinch]

Update:

They are still appearing at twilight for a short time. But... I think I have mistaken their identity - remembering it's dusk of course. What I though was a yellow/black insect is actually black. Their wings are yellow (from a distance) and although I saw a large one the other evening quite close up - about 2M, I saw another large one last night and it wasn't as dark outside. This was definitely black. I am now wondering whether they are the 'black bee' or 'carpenter bee'. I don't know. I had a chat with my neighbour yesterday and he said they were around last year as well - same habits etc. They don't seem to bother anyone and I'm still baffled why we don't see them during the day - only at dusk and for 30mins max.

[riclepp]

From your description, they don't sound like carpenter or black bees. According to wiki

[Pinch]

From your description, they don't sound like carpenter or black bees. According to wiki

I've completely forgotten about this thread.

They came back again this summer and we found out what they are... the good old humble cockchafer.

I've never seen so many of them in one time. They were everywhere and always around tops of trees at dusk time until dark.

[mark270981]

Cockchafers or I think the Americans call the June bug make my skin crawl one of them flew into our bedroom last year a took a few pics quite interesting.

They look like they have jazz hands.

[thatsnotafestool]

Cockchafers ? Sounds to me more like undersized y-fronts

[ispraywood]

Are you sure it's not just a pigeon that the local youth haven't just spray painted? They seem to graffiti anything now er days.

[thatsnotafestool]

Two years on since the last post. I think the wasp might have flown away by now!

[justaskin]

So this is the initiation test for the mile high gang?

Richard