CLOSED: Wasp or Fly? Please ID!

San Antonio, TX

We started seeing these bugs in our house maybe once or twice a week about a year ago. We live in North Central San Antonio. They are always alone, and they CREEP me out! From a distance, they look like flies with cricket legs, and are about an inch long. They are also extremely hard to kill. Unlike a fly, they have a very hard exoskelton, and you have to really smash them hard, otherwise they are just stunned. Looking at one up close, their abdomen is similar to a wasp, so I am not sure what they are. The picture here is of a semi-dead one, so it is hard to make out all of its structures. I looked all over the internet, and have not seen anything similar, so I am hoping I can get help here. I will say, as I was taking the picture, I noticed it's beautiful blue-green iridescent eyes, so now I have a bit more appreciation for them.

Thumbnail by neutie88
Sinks Grove, WV

This is a 'good guy' - please do not kill any more! It is an ensign wasp (Hymenoptera: Evaniidae); they are parasitic on the egg capsules (oothecae) of cockroaches - see http://tinyurl.com/mp9qpe for more detailed information.

San Antonio, TX

Thank you so much! The one insect I truly am terrified of is the cockroach, so I will now welcome these little guys with open arms!

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