I found my kitten playing with this flying insect and wasn't sure what it was. It looks like it has a stinger that you can't see in the pictures, and I'm hoping they don't sting as she will get stung! She's a curious one. Please help identify :-)
My cat brought us this fellow (or gal)!
It's an ichneumon wasp in the subfamily Ophioninae; these all are parasitic on caterpillars. The 'stinger' is its egg-laying apparatus called an ovipositor. This is capable of penetrating human skin (feels like a pin prick) but is not venomous.
Thank you! I kept trying to figure it out and it was driving me crazy! I hope there aren't a lot around or kitty is going to get a little pinch :-) Glad they aren't venomous.
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