What the F is this flying thing?

[TotalControl]

Standing outside my porch vaping away and this anorexic wasp looking thing is fluttering around, kind of like a moth. Hit my face and I did a little poo not knowing what is was. My feeble Google attempts don't bring anything up.

It settled on the ceiling of my porch so I took the pic. It's about an inch long not including its antennae. What is it?

Edited by TotalControl on Tuesday 21st February 01:47

[monoloco]

almost certainly a type of parasitic wasp but nothing to worry about as they feed/lay eggs on other insects and caterpillars etc

your pic is a bit tricky to see clearly but you might be able to identify it from here:

http://www.naturespot.org.uk/taxonomy/term/19396 -scroll about 1/2 to 3/4 down the page and there's dozens of similar looking things on there

[Boosted LS1]

I don't think it's a parasitic wasp. Wouldn't it have an egg tube? I'll have to have a look in my insect book to see what it could be.

[durbster]

You can send the photo to [e-mail] and somebody from the Royal Entomological Society should be able to explain what it is.

I did it last year for a weird bug we found at work.

I do love the internet for services like that

[otolith]

Boosted LS1 said:

I don't think it's a parasitic wasp. Wouldn't it have an egg tube?

Only if it's a female. It does look like some sort of ichneumon wasp to me, but the picture isn't great.

[Boosted LS1]

otolith said:

Boosted LS1 said:

I don't think it's a parasitic wasp. Wouldn't it have an egg tube?

Only if it's a female. It does look like some sort of ichneumon wasp to me, but the picture isn't great.

Ah, I hadn't thought about that aspect. Females have ovipositors. Moi, thickie.

[Mr GrimNasty]

Boosted LS1 said:

otolith said:

Boosted LS1 said:

I don't think it's a parasitic wasp. Wouldn't it have an egg tube?

Only if it's a female. It does look like some sort of ichneumon wasp to me, but the picture isn't great.

Ah, I hadn't thought about that aspect. Females have ovipositors. Moi, thickie.

Yes, definitely an ichneumon wasp of some description, unique looking, can't be easily mistaken.

[TotalControl]

Sorry about the picture, I agree it is abysmal but was all I could muster with the crap focus.

I have emailed to find out what it is.

[TotalControl]

As an update, a reply has been received:

"It’s an ichneumonid or parasitoid wasp which parasitizes other insects. There are some 2300 species in UK and if it was about 2cm long it could belong to the genus Ophion. This is the one genus that might give a mild sting to humans if the female is handled roughly."

So yeah, it's probably one of them.