Around the place where I live there is a squadron of hummingbird-sized hornets or bees. They dig burrows in the ground, typically alongside concrete foundations or under landscaping stones and wooden planters, and seem to spend a lot of time hovering over their burrows. I’m not joking about their size: When one landed on my windshield (a startlong experience!), I took the oportunity to hold a business card up to it (it was outside, I was inside, thank you!), and d*mn if it wasnt longer than my card, making it at least 2 1/2 inches long. It had a nasty-looking point on it’s abdomen, which I assume to be a stinger, was mostly black, but had “spilled paint” style markings in a dull-yellow collor, and was as big around as my index finger.
What the heck are these? Do they sting? If so, how badly? Are they known to be aggressive? Should I be setting up anti-aircraft weapons? Calling for the combat air patrol?
I’ve seen these things lately too. I have lived in Chicago for four years and lived in Michigan before that and have never seen these things before. A whole bunch of them just seemed to show up around the building I work at, burrowing nests around the sidewalks. Anybody know what they are?
I forget what they are called, but I had a slew of them outside my old job (Atlanta, GA) and although they are very large and nasty-looking, they were never aggressive and would always buzz out of the way when you walked by. They came back evey year around a certain time in the spring or summer and would hang around for a few months, then would disappear again.
I have to say though, either I’ve got giant mutant Cicada Killers, or the factsheet isn’t fully up to date. The mosnters I’ve got buzzing about are more on the 7 to 8 cm size, rather than 5 cm.
The only wasp or hymenopteran type insect in that size range or larger in the United States is a Tarantula Hawk and they aren’t any of those in your area. 2.5" + is too big for even the largest hornet or bee except maybe a queen. Do they have a “pinched” waist like wasps or more of a cigar shape?
Nope. I’m quite familiar with cicadas, and if you look at Squink’s first link, you’ll get a beautiful picture of exactly what I’m talking about. I only measured the one wasp, and that was via the guage of my business card, which is 2 1/2 inches long. I suppose it may’ve been a mutant, but I don’t have a proper scientific sample to be sure.
Is there significant sexual dimorphism in Cicada Killers?
We had these things at my family’s house in Houston. I hate wasps. These things buzz in a very characteristic manner, that still causes the “fight-or-flight” reflex in me.