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Photo#966716
Large wasp - Sphecius speciosus

Large wasp - Sphecius speciosus
Near Austin, Williamson County, Texas, USA
July 27, 2014
Size: 1.5"
Sorry the image is so poor. I was using the digital zoom because this wasp seemed especially upset and wary. You can sort of see in the picture how aggressive it's stance is. I thought we had Golden Digger wasps in the yard and there are holes in the ground just below where this wasp kept returning, but I've never had a wasp act this aggressively around me before. It chased me and bumped into both the dogs. It didn't sting any of us, but it seemed like it meant business. Plus I kind of thought it looked like a hornet, except it was SO big...

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

Eastern Cicada Killer…
See reference here.

 
Thank you!
Thank you for the ID!

 
Behavior…
These big wasps will sometimes defend areas, but fortunately they rarely sting people.

See reference here.

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