As you may already recognize, I am not well versed in this topic. I'm not finding a lot on-line that describes this insects behavior. I had never heard of the Blackjacket before this encounter. I had no idea wasp-like insects were active at night. First, that they are even out while it is still pitch black outside. Perhaps an in-ground nest getting flooded. They only seem to be out after a heavy rain. Turning the floor lights off, they slam themselves into the sliding door, due to the indoor light I assume. One of these lights is just outside a sliding glass door. One landed on my arm and bit immediately. On one of the occassions, I did not realize they were there. When turned on during the pre-dawn, 5:30am local time) hour, thes elights are promptly swarmed by what appears to be Vespula consobrina (Blackjacket). We have a in-ground pool in the back yard. With all the rain we've recently received in Northern Illinois, I've seen something twice recently I found unusual. Black Jackets make paper nests and they will aggressively attempt to defend their nest. Otherwise, I'd say it might be a Bald-faced Hornet, which is also black with white markings. The second wasp might be a Black Jacket wasp, which is very similar to a Yellow Jacket, only mostly black with some white markings. Jethro - I don't know what the first insect is which you have described - I'd really need to see a photo. Here's a link to Professor Chuck Holliday's Cicada Killer page with general info and photos: Īnd here is a link to another page on the same website that gives info on how to deal with these wasps. Here is a reply that I gave to someone else further down in these comments:Īndrea - It sounds like the insects that you are seeing might be what are known as Cicada Killers, probably Sphecius speciosus. Also, check the links in the next answer that I am writing to Danica.ĭanica - I'm guessing that your wasps might be the same ones that I've written about before. If you read through some of the answers I've given to several other people in the past (just look down through the comments), you'll see some links to pages that give some ideas for getting rid of various kinds of wasps. Paige - I don't really now how you can get rid of the wasps. Megarhyssa macrurus - Giant-ichneumon - view 2Īrge ochropa - Arge ochropus - Rose Sawfly ovipositing - view 2 Megarhyssa macrurus - Giant-ichneumon - view 1 Larvae feed on poison ivy.Īrge humeralis (Beauvois) - Argidae A male.Ī "bee wolf" wasp in the genus Philanthus, family Sphecidae.Īrge ochropa - sawfly ovipositing into cuts made in rose stem Vespa crabro (European Hornet) killing a honeybeeĪrge humeralis (Beauvois) - Argidae. Mason wasp, probably Ancistrocerus antilopeĪ worker "blackjacket" - Vespula consobrinaĪrge coccinea (Fabricius) (Argidae) sawfly - view 3 Tenthredo basilaris Say - Tenthredinidae - sawfly Sandhills Hornet - Vespula arenaria - male Mason wasp - (probably a species of Ancistrocerus) Mason wasp, probably Symmorphus sp., family Vespidae (subfamily Eumeninae) Winged female (queen) ant, probably Formica sp. Mating pair of ants, male below, female above, probably Formica sp. Winged ants, female left, male right, probably Formica sp. on goldenrod at Elphin road (no ID)īeewolf - probably Philanthus lepidus - maleīald-faced hornet - Dolichovespula maculataĪrge ochropa (Gmelin) (Argidae) larvae - a species of Sawfly - on rose leaf Small Male mason wasp (hooked antennae), probably Euodynerus sp. 3 - depositing eggs into willow treeĪrge coccinea (Fabricius) (?) larva feeding on sumac 2 - inspecting tree looking for place to deposit eggs 1 - inspecting tree looking for place to deposit eggs If you've seen something like that, try doing a Google image search of Cicada Killer and that might be what you've seen. One last tip - I get A LOT of questions about a kind of large wasp called a Cicada Killer that makes holes in the ground. These days, I'm pretty busy, so I just don't have time to reply individually to your questions. Anyhow, if you are trying to identify an insect, you can look through my galleries, or read through the many descriptions of insects in questions below to see what I've written in reply. I live in Canada, so I don't really know what insects someone in Texas or South Carolina, or California might see. Also, the species in one area of the country are different than those in another. It's pretty much impossible for me to identify insects without good photos, and it takes time to do an ID. PLEASE NOTE!! I DO NOT GIVE ADVICE ON KILLING INSECTS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I get a lot of questions from people asking if I can identify various hornets and bees. If you're interested in seeing my most recent photos, writing or other work, please visit my nature blog, Burning Silo. The following is a gallery of wasp, hornet and sawfly photos taken over the past few years.
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