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Photo#147392
Help name this insect that looks like a bee, but acts like a termite - Megarhyssa macrurus - female

Help name this insect that looks like a bee, but acts like a termite - Megarhyssa macrurus - Female
Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois, USA
September 22, 2007
Size: 2.5"
I found one of these on a stump of an elm, and another inside when i was splitting loggs. My guess would be some type of termite or something. note: Tail coming off its back end around its body then into the wood. I have seen one with three tails and what i would guess as the male, with none~

Comments

Moved

It's an ichneumon wasp, female
laying eggs into the tree. Actually laying eggs into larvae that are in the tree, to be more exact. Looks a lot like this one, Megarhyssa macrurus, to me, though I'm no expert on these:





See also Megarhyssa info page