What on earth WAS it???

[HRHQueenOfQuotes]

OK please forgive me if my description is a little vague (and perhaps slightly inacurate) - but I worked last night and have had just 2hrs sleep - and this 'thing' was flying round my house at 7.30am this morning - and was in the bin by 8.30 after DH declared he didn't know what it was.

It look a bit like a wasp - but had a longer, thinner body, which was in two 'sections' - it had just two little yellow stripes (near the tail if I remember correctly)., quite long wings and long legs - I think it had a sting in it's tail - but by the time I'd zapped it with fly and wasp spray - and battered it with a spoon (closest thing on hand) to ensure it was dead could tell for sure.

Does anyone have any idea what it was? Any links to pictures of what you think it may be??

Did it look like a cross between a thin wasp and a flying ant?

hornet???

Don't know but we saw them in Spain alot.

Wierd little creatures!!

Like this QoQ? Hornet

YOu could try this to try to identify it.

(click on the photo for a bigger picture)

I'm pretty sure it wasn't a hornet - I've had a look at some pictures and was nothing like.

I suppose the description of cross betweena thin wasp and a flying ant would be pretty close - like I say this was this morning and I've had a sleep (sort of) since and now it's bugging me - just wondering whether I was "brave" (I'm terrified of wasps/hornets etc - although ok with bees) or whether I killed a harmless creature

Ah ... hoverfly then: Hoverflies (scroll down for the pictures)

could have just been a hover fly - they look like wasps weedy younger cousins

no definitely not a hornet - much thinner - and only had 2 little stripes on it's back - had long antennae (sp) too (I think)

great minds Georgina

hehe

love the wasps weedier cousins description - that's so spot on.

it was longer than a 'normal' wasp - didn't look what I'd class as a hoverfly (have loads of them in the garden).

ooh this is going to bug me now

the 'end' part of the body had 2 very distince yellow stripes on - but not right at the end.

Scroll down to the pics, QoQ - there's lots of different species (?) of hoverflies - loads of varieties.

Alternatively, take a photo of the next one you see and send it to me - I can upload it to flickr and send it to the Identify Me group (loads of insect experts on there).

Horntail Sawfly (Wood Wasp) ? (scroll down, last pic on the right)

some of these wasps are pretty ant like

image top right - looks antlike and only a few stripes?

The descriptions of parasitic wasps seem a fairly good match too - am I getting close with any of these?

bet you it was a wood wasp, someone helped me identify the bugger on here last year, what looks like a sting is not one at all its where they lay their eggs. they is massive

I think we're getting close - it did look a bit like a wood wasp - but pretty sure it wasn't.