Can anyone ID this nasty looking insect?

[singlecoil]

Found on a curtain this morning



Length from head to tail about 25mm, BTW

Edited by singlecoil on Tuesday 26th April 08:47

[FellowPazzini]

Looks like the mother in-law.

[toast boy]

Not sure but it looks a bit like some kind of wasp to me. It might be the kind that lay their eggs in your brain - run for the hills!

[Cock Womble 7]

Ah, the curtain-eating death wasp.

[Caulkhead]

Looks like a member of the Syrphidae family, more commonly known as a Hoverfly. Completely harmless to humans and vital in keeping down aphid numbers. Make it a tiny bacon sandwich to thank it and let it on it's way.

[AmiableChimp]

That's the male...have you found the 4x bigger, poisonous female yet?

They always travel in pairs...

[Toni896]

Looks like Bob ... Does it speak with a welsh accent ?

[Grumpy old git]

It's a Horntail aka Woodwasp, a type of sawfly.

[LukeBird]

FellowPazzini said:

Looks like the mother in-law.

Grumpy old git said:

It's a Horntail aka Woodwasp, a type of sawfly.

Yeah, I would have said the same.

[soad]

Looks sooo gross

OP, what you did with it?

[LukeBird]

soad said:

Looks sooo gross

OP, what you did with it?

His wife put a pigeon in the house to eat it...

[Vieste]

Yup woodwasp

[Monkeylegend]

singlecoil said:

Found on a curtain this morning



Length from head to tail about 25mm, BTW

Edited by singlecoil on Tuesday 26th April 08:47

That is gross, don't think I have seen anything so awful fo a long time, you must change those curtains.

[anonymous-user]

I reckon it's an elephant fly.
Can't be certain though as I ain't never seen an elephant fly.

[singlecoil]

Monkeylegend said:

singlecoil said:

Found on a curtain this morning



Length from head to tail about 25mm, BTW

Edited by singlecoil on Tuesday 26th April 08:47

That is gross, don't think I have seen anything so awful fo a long time, you must change those curtains.

Thats' the lining, the curtains themselves aren't visible in that picture.






Having looked at pics of the horntail, I'm inclined to agree. I'd already caught it with a glass and piece of cardoard, and put it outside. It may have come into the house as a pupa on some firewood,I had heard a noise in a bag of firewood before hearing a noise against the window and, on investigation, found it in the folds of the curtain.

[marsred]

Meanwhile, on aphidheads.com

woodwasp1 said:

So I was trying to find my way out of a house this morning, working my way round some curtains, when this human started photographing me. I mean WTF? I stayed very still as suggested and it went away eventually. I think they are more scared of us than we are of them.

woodwasps don't use text speak.

[heppers75]

Toni896 said:

Looks like Bob ... Does it speak with a welsh accent ?

have one on me

[road hog]

time flies like an arrow
fruit flies like a banana

[anonymous-user]

road hog said:

time flies like an arrow
fruit flies like a banana

Great tits like coconuts.

[ShiggyBiggs]

I think you should make him a hat, its the done thing.