| A large
insect and of fearsome appearance, with even the common
name deemed by many as being threatening, just by using
the name Wasp. The Greater Horntail Wasp is actually an
insect which is completely harmless, but when this one
turned up in a Market Warsop pet shop in August 2012, no
doubt some panick ensued. We were called in to collect it
and identified it as Urocerus gigas. Its UK
distribution is patchy and they are largely found in
coniferous areas. The long ovipositor of the female, is
used to lay eggs into the bark of trees in which the
larva develops. |
