The Stranger

5 Answers

• I think what you have there is a wood wasp. The good news is, that tail ain't for stinging. The following is from a page called "Major Pests of British Columbia's Forests." "Wood Wasp - Attacks dead and dying conifers, especially fire-kill or salvaged timber. The long "stinger' is actually an ovipositor, used to inject eggs into the sapwood of trees." Call an exterminator and tell them what you think you have. I would try Cascade Pest Control - http://www.cascadepest.com/ There is a mention on Yelp from a few days ago. One Yelper says CPC took his bug and evaluated it for free. Their Google ad said free inspection, but their site doesn't. Could just be an oversight. Ask about it. Boy that bug is creepy. But on the plus side, we all learned a cool new word - ovipositor. Looking forward to working that into conversations. Report back on how this goes please. Buzzy answered in City Living 5 months ago | Report 22 2 2 comments by Buzzy and Jim… Found a photo that looks like an exact match - Ichneumon Wasp - http://tinylittlelife.org/?p=180 Texas A & M Entomology site says " although generally considered to be harmless some species are capable of stinging when improperly handled." http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/cimg327.html Handle with care. Buzzy commented 5 months ago | Report Thanks, I feel much better- a little. We do live in a rotten old house. It's pretty though. hmm. everything is a trade off here. Jim commented 5 months ago | Report Enter a comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit

• Buzzy's right, definitely some form of wood wasp. While all wasps CAN sting, a lot of them don't usually do so. Luckily, they aren't colony nesters like hornets and yellowjackets; they're usually solitary. BTW, great juxtaposition of the magazine title. Geni answered in City Living 5 months ago | Report 2 1 Comment on this answer Enter a comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit

• The scientific name is an Ichneumon wasp. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichneumon_wasp They are harmless to humans and actually useful for pest control. lijohy answered in City Living 5 months ago | Report 1 1 Comment on this answer Enter a comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit

• staff

  One of those stung or bit me when I was seven. I remember every detail to this day. It hurts like hell, but unless there's some unknown allergy everything will be fine. If you do get stung whip up some baking soda and water paste and put it on. It helps draw out whatever shouldn't be in there. Renée answered in City Living 5 months ago | Report 5 5 Comment on this answer Enter a comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit

• You are safer than any generation of people has ever been. Toasterhedgehog answered in City Living 5 months ago | Report 5 6 3 comments by Jim, Toasterhedgehog, and Jim… Thanks for the reassurance. I was really on pins and needles there for a minute. I mean your right, it is not starvation or the plague or genocide or anything that those previous generations had to deal with. And I mean really, who dies of an insect sting these days? I must have been being a little silly when I wrote that headline and additional questions. Yeah, I was being a little silly. Trying to get attention from the question land folks. That's it. Jim commented 5 months ago | Report Sorry, I think my answer was a bit crass. Genuinely worrying over the safety of your kid is great. I get a bit angry at our safety obsessed culture robbing children of any kind of exploration and adventure. Wondering about a wasp, and forcing your child to stay indoors all the time are two different things. I was reacting to the idea of the latter. Toasterhedgehog commented 5 months ago | Report "I get a bit angry at our safety obsessed culture robbing children of any kind of exploration and adventure" I hear you. I've tried to raise my kid to eat dirt. Her first pet was an earth worm. I was really just curious as I'd never seen anything like that before. Jim commented 5 months ago | Report Enter a comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit

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