Giant Wasp or Bee?

[Claire White]

Hi,

I am new to this forum so people may have posted about these before.

A couple of weeks ago, my sister and I were outside by my pond and a giant wasp or bee came hovering by. Me being afraid of wasps (been stung in my tear duct before) ran into the house as soon as I saw it but speaking at work today, someone I work with described the same thing in his garden this weekend. This got us looking all over the internet to try to identify it, however; we have hit a dead end.

This insect was 2.5 inches long with a chunky body, not slender and sectional like a normal wasp or bee. It was cigar shaped and kind of boomerang shaped. So like a slightly bent cigar if you like.

It had a big deep buzz to it which was what caught my attention. Then I saw it and ran...wimp, I know!

It was a beige, orange colour, hairy all over and faintly striped like a wasp. It didn't seem to have any black colours, the stripes were just a different shade to the main colour.

I have looked at suggestions on other forums and I know what it wasn't.

Not a hornet, wood wasp or a saw fly.

I wonder if it was maybe a hawkmoth but I can't find any images of these that look like the beast I saw!

All I can say is I have never seen a wasp or bee of those proportions in my life!

[2dogs2000]

Welcome to WAB.

Without a picture we can only speculate from your description. As you have stated it is not a hornet or wood wasp I am going to have a guess at a hummingbird hawk moth. A long shot I know but who knows

[Claire White]

That's what I thought it could be, maybe it is.
It was in Suffolk by the way. I didn't get a picture as I ran away! I usually hang around and get shots of unusual insects in my garden but anything Wasp like that I'm not sure of forces a flight reaction lol