stinging insect

[Bird Woman]

last night i was at a barbie at my cousins and under the roof of the gazebo gathered many hovver flies (hedge wasps as i call them), however this huge thing with a very large and obvious stinger turned up. i didnt bother anyone but i didnt like it and i thought it could be a hornet but it didnt appear to be stripey in the fading light. deffo wasnt a bee or wasp, too big. the stinger was very long and curly like that of a scorpion.

any ideas?

[goosegirl]

Hi Bird Women,

It sounds like a Mossie, they are quite scary looking.

GG.

[Eeyore]

Hi BW

Was it black? ;)

We have these big black flying things round here, tend to hang round near shelter (trees and bushes) that have big stingy things hanging down. :o Wondered if it was the same beastie....

[Bird Woman]

one of my mates said it was probably a hornet and the dj i listen to on the radio in the morning lives about 4 miles from here and was saying this morning about swarms of hornets round there and the surrouding areas.

glad it never stung me.

[Enterian]

Actually, I've been told that Hornets are quite docile and are far less likely to sting you than an ordinary wasp.

Enterian

[freakyfun]

Did it look like this?

http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/wildlife/images/73-13e.jpg

"Rhyssa persuasoria

Body length 35mm

Our largest ichneumon fly and an impressive insect. Associated with mature pine woods and flies July-August. Female uses long ovipositor to parasitise larvae of giant wood wasp which are located deep in living timber. Locally common. "

FF

[Eskander]

FF's sort of beaten me to it. "Long stingers" on insects are usually not stingers at all but ovipositors (egg laying tubes). I think real hornets are quite uncommon away from the south of England - New Forest area.

[Bird Woman]

it looked similar to that

[Eskander]

A bit more info on Hornets:

http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th4a.htm