I took a picture of this bug on my front window this morning. Never saw one like it! (I'm in the Chicago area.) He was about one and quarter inch long and wide and curled up his hind end like a scorpion. Very uniquely colored - brown and gold with sheer wings. The picture is blurred, but maybe someone knows what it is? Thanks!
This is an ichneumon wasp (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) in the genus Megarhyssa, possibly Megarhyssa macrurus - see http://tinyurl.com/2dza9z for an image. The long ‘stinger’ actually is its ovipositor, used to drill into the tunnels of its prey, the larvae of wood-boring wasps in the family Siricidae. They lack venom, and are completely harmless to human.
That's exactly what I saw! Drilling tunnels into its prey?? Woooo . . . stiff drink tonight before bed to ward off nightmares! Thanks!
