Wasp Identification Help

I need some help identifying a wasp. I have never in my 13 years in Los Angeles County, California ever seen anything like what I just saw. I spent 11 years in Texas too. I have never seen anything like it there.

I was washing dishes in the kitchen when I saw the strange insect fly from around the corner of the house and run right into the window.

It was a bright green, metallic almost, maybe a bluish green color. It had red wings. It walked around on top of the smoker we use to smoke meat and flapped its wings up and down rapidly. It literally walked right off the edge of the smoker, tumbled head over heels and flew off before hitting the ground. It flew very slow and the wings looked almost disproportionately small for its body.

The key thing is it was huge. It was about 3 inches long and maybe stood an inch tall and the abdomen was at least half an inch in circumference.

It definitely had the body of a wasp. That much I can tell you without a doubt that it looked exactly like a wasp.

If anyone can identify this thing for me, please do. I have never eve,r ever seen it before.

reply to post by dbloch7986


The size sounds like a mud wasp. But the color? No pics huh? Shame.

No clue i mean i see a red and brown ugly one well like 10 of them about 1 to 2in long and i stayed the hell out the addict after that lol (in CT) But 3in and green? I was thinking a dragon fly but you said it had the body of a wasp hmmmmm.

[edit on 19-8-2010 by GunzCoty]

Found it!
www.cirrusimage.com...

reply to post by DARKCYDE_CROWLEY


Woops. Guess I found it too in the other thread copy. Tarantula Hawk it is!

You DON'T want to be stung by one of those either! One of the most painful stings out there. From the wikipedia entry:

In terms of scale, the wasp's sting is rated near the top of the Schmidt Sting Pain Index, second only to that of the bullet ant and is described by Schmidt as "blinding, fierce [and] shockingly electric".

They're found all over southwestern US deserts, of which LA is part of.

Hornets are known to get pretty big. When I was a kid I used to find hornets in Arkansas all the time and they were that large. I'll look around on google and see what I can find for you.

Originally posted by abecedarian
You DON'T want to be stung by one of those either! One of the most painful stings out there. From the wikipedia entry:

In terms of scale, the wasp's sting is rated near the top of the Schmidt Sting Pain Index, second only to that of the bullet ant and is described by Schmidt as "blinding, fierce [and] shockingly electric".

They're found all over southwestern US deserts, of which LA is part of.

This warning cannot be over stated.

Do not get stung by this thing, its "happening" in pain power.

Sorry everyone I got busy and didn't have time to jump back on before bed. I'll respond to everyone now.

Originally posted by DARKCYDE_CROWLEY
Found it!
www.cirrusimage.com...

Thanks man! That's the one! Now I know I'm not crazy and I wasn't hallucinating!

I would hate to be stung by that sucker. I wonder if he can paralyze a human. I would hate for him to lay eggs in me too.

Does that mean there are tarantulas in my area too? I've never seen one.

I live in the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County. Recently we moved closer to the wilderness of the Angeles National Forest instead of in the heart of the city. Maybe that's why I'm seeing it for the first time.

Originally posted by EnlightenUp
reply to post by DARKCYDE_CROWLEY

 

Woops. Guess I found it too in the other thread copy. Tarantula Hawk it is!

Thanks! Yea sorry about that. Somehow it double posted the thread. There's a first time for everything as they say!

Wow from that picture you can see it's heals,... you were right
Sorry man just had to say it,.
that certainly is a biggie, Glad I have winters





[edit on 20-8-2010 by Lil Drummerboy]

Originally posted by abecedarian
You DON'T want to be stung by one of those either! One of the most painful stings out there. From the wikipedia entry:

In terms of scale, the wasp's sting is rated near the top of the Schmidt Sting Pain Index, second only to that of the bullet ant and is described by Schmidt as "blinding, fierce [and] shockingly electric".

They're found all over southwestern US deserts, of which LA is part of.

Man! Thanks. That's crazy. I hate stinging insects and now I know theres a whole species of them the size of my palm living around me! And the second most painful sting in the world. Great!

The tarantula hawk is relatively docile and rarely stings without provocation. The sting particularly of Pepsis formosa, is among the most painful of any insect, but the intense pain only lasts for about 3 minutes.

I guess I'll just haave to be polite when I see him and take solace in the fact that it only lasts for three minutes, albeit probably the longest three minutes of your life.

The stinger of a female tarantula hawk can be up to 1/3 inch (7 mm) long...

Just great! That's a giant stinger!

Originally posted by Loutty
Hornets are known to get pretty big. When I was a kid I used to find hornets in Arkansas all the time and they were that large. I'll look around on google and see what I can find for you.

Thanks man!

They figured it out for me though. I looked all over Google and couldn't find the sucker. You would think something that common would've shown up.

reply to post by Ex_MislTech


I absolutely agree. Good news is apparently as long as I'm nice to it I will be ok.

Also they can apparently get drunk too. So I'll just leave some fermented fruit and well be best friends. It makes sense now why he fell off the smoker! He was drunk!

Originally posted by Lil Drummerboy
Wow from that picture you can see it's heals,... you were right

Sorry man just had to say it,.
that certainly is a biggie, Glad I have winters
[edit on 20-8-2010 by Lil Drummerboy]

Yea i think I'll move to Alaska just to get away from this guy! Forget it!

[edit on 8/20/2010 by dbloch7986]