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Photo#1114367
Wasp trying to subdue a flower longhorn beetle. - Vespa crabro

Wasp trying to subdue a flower longhorn beetle. - Vespa crabro
White Oak Flats Overlook , Blue Ridge Parkway mile 55 (West of Lynchburg) County, Virginia, USA
July 20, 2015
I was photographing a number of flower longhorns that were flying about and feeding. I noticed a very large bee or wasp flying erratically but it never was able to land as most of the flower stems would not support its weight. Finally, it landed on a more robust stem and it turned out to be a large wasp, struggling with a flower longhorn. I watched for at least ten minutes, it was not over when I left. Looks as though the wasp was trying to sting through the elytra not too successfully. Any chance of ID for either?

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Wasp trying to subdue a flower longhorn beetle. - Vespa crabro Wasp trying to subdue a flower longhorn beetle. - Vespa crabro Wasp trying to subdue a flower longhorn beetle. - Vespa crabro Wasp trying to subdue a flower longhorn beetle. - Vespa crabro

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

The longhorn is Typocerus
Its color pattern is shared by velutinus, deceptus and acuticauda, and without a better view, nailing it down is probably impossible.

Vespa crabro
The wasp is Vespa crabro, the European hornet. They are known for attacking large prey items.

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