Flying earwig type wasp thing!

[sumadartson2001]

Thanks to this forum i have found out what has been visiting a few houses lately including mine.There is a link below to a pic of an insect which i have never seen before until last night when i encountered one in my kitchen constantly flying into the strip light.It freaked me out so i hit with a towel and it seemed to try and hide behind the tumble drier(i know this is strange but it did!).I got some fly killing spray and it fell to the floor,so i put a glass over it and when i came back two hours later it was still alive.in the end i really had to stamp on it to kill it as i was not sure whether or not it would sting.I think a lot of people think this is an Ichneumonid Wasp but it is not it is Pimpla Instigator,so i hope this helps a few people who wondered what this was.Here is the link Pimpla instigator

[Venger]

Originally Posted by sumadartson2001

I think a lot of people think this is an Ichneumonid Wasp but it is not it is Pimpla Instigator Pimpla instigator

Pimpla Instigator is an ichnuemon fly so I think you can forgive them.

You know you don't have to beat them into a pulp, you can just transport it outside harmlessly - the old glass and card works wonders :P

[Wild-Woman]

Shame. They're actually very beautiful creatures.

[Dogghound]

It is a beautiful creature, And abit over the top way of dealing with a harmless invertibrate, Its sting is infact an ovipositor used for laying eggs.

Regarding species Pimpla instigator is a member of the Ichneumonidae wasps their are several similar looking species however Pimpla instigator is infact the most common of the 4,000 across europe. This species is a parasite of moth caterpillars so its harmless to humans.

[sumadartson2001]

Whilst i appreciate what i now know,i will not harm one in the future,obviously in hindsight i may have done wrong but at the time if you are like me and not sure about something like this then i don't think i am alone in thinking that the said person would rather kill it than throw it outside.

[Walwyn]

Originally Posted by sumadartson2001

Whilst i appreciate what i now know,i will not harm one in the future,obviously in hindsight i may have done wrong but at the time if you are like me and not sure about something like this then i don't think i am alone in thinking that the said person would rather kill it than throw it outside.

Hopefully in the future the rush to wield the spray and dob the clogs will be muted. Though I do appreciate that many people find unknown insects scary. Ichneumons along with Tachnid flies are beneficial insects as they target many pest species.

Some however are not so beneficial:
7 spot ladybird with parasitic wasp cocoon DSCF7766 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!