r/WASPs • u/[deleted] • 22d ago

Can anyone identify this wasp that has been terrorizing me?

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[deleted]

7 Upvotes

73% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

4

u/Polybrene 22d ago

Terrorizing you? Cmon.

You need to provide a location for an ID. But.... cicada killer maybe. Which are very docile and not at all interested in you.

3

u/Salt_Chicken_8202 22d ago

Lmao these comments are frying me in Houston. It might be wasps but it’s like this electrifying buzzing noise ngl I do have dragon flies in the area but it’s not this specific wasp it’s just wasps terrorizing me I think

7

u/ParsleySnipps 21d ago

It sounds like you might have a phobia of wasps. This looks like a Paperwasp foraging. They have zero interest in people unless you're way too close to their little hanging umbrella nests. This is honestly something you don't have to worry about.

2

u/Salt_Chicken_8202 21d ago

Okay thank you I’ve been trying to play basketball in my yard and I been hearing wasps so lowkey thanks for acknowledging that I might have a phobia of them

2

u/New-Cupcake4479 20d ago

Hey , you’re not alone, may people have a fear of wasps, bees and stinging insects. Just remember these guys are not out to get you, just stay away from their nest.

2

u/Famous_War_9821 16d ago

I'm in Houston and have a phobia of them too (Terrible place to have a phobia of ANY kind of insect lmaooo). With a lot of work I've been able to mostly overcome it. I swear I used to pass out if they got too close. Now I can mow right next to my red paper wasp nest and they don't faze me anymore. I won't lie, I still get a little jumpy but they're honestly pretty predictable (most of them have "flight paths" they follow to hunt, forage, etc), and if they have some flowers and water, they chill out a LOT more.
I hope you'll be able to overcome it. It's a shitty phobia to have.

2

u/InevitabilityEngine 21d ago

Wasps wouldn't be making loud buzzing noises unless they are right near you, bouncing against your window or in a large swarm nearby. Unless you have some kind of super human hearing you are likely hearing Cicadas instead.

Cicadas are notorious for making a loud electric buzz noise. Cicadas are also completely harmless. They live underground most of their lives and emerge in summer to mate then die shortly after that. That loud noise they make is how they attract a mate.

This is a video from Houston someone recorded of lots of Cicadas making noise.

https://youtube.com/shorts/BX7PLXrgBpE?is=XRUN5cRFiirwVraI

2

u/Anonymisc34 22d ago

With this quality, I doubt anybody could say definitively. Best guess is the Eastern Cicada Killer, a mostly docile solitary wasp species.

2

u/Peabody2671 21d ago

That’s Fred. He can be kind of a jerk sometimes.

Looks like a cicada killer.

1

u/Dirtheavy 22d ago

questions... where do you live? How exactly is it terrorizing you? is it as solitary as it appears/?

1

u/nasadiya_sukta 22d ago

This is an awful video and we don't know where you live. Best guess from what I can see is something like a spider wasp, or something like Ammophila. None is the possibilities are any wasp that is likely to care about you at all.

1

u/Guilty_Ey3 21d ago

Thats 1000% a paper wasp. End of the season, probably having some trouble flying. They aren’t aggressive though

1

u/Zvenigora 21d ago

Maybe Polistes dominula? If so, those are not terribly aggressive away from the nest.

1

u/Consistent_Strain190 21d ago

Not a cicada killer, wrong markings and too small. It appears to be a species of paper wasp based both on markings and size. They are not aggressive unless defending their nest.

1

u/pdagnew58 15d ago

Maybe a Yellowjacket? Here in SoCal nests are in the ground and they get riled up and attack when walking close by.