I've been going au naturel so far this summer.

That is, no screens in the windows.

Last fall I had no insects at all in the house. It amazed me. But
this year there are a few. Almost all of them I like.

(One mosquito at most but I didn't get a good look. I don't get
bumps anyhow, and Zika hasn't made it to Baltimore yet.)

But today one was real scarey looking. I didn't recognize it but it
was pretty big and had two 3/4" long strands, one on either side on
the rear of the bug, looking like jet fighter tailhooks.

1) Anyone know what that is? and
2) Any truth to the idea that the scarey looking ones are less likely
to sting?

He was flying around the room for an hour and I don't know if he left
because he finally found the window again, or because rain was getting
near and he had to be home before it rained.

On 06/28/2016 03:41 PM, Micky wrote:
He was flying around the room for an hour and I don't know if he left
because he finally found the window again, or because rain was getting
near and he had to be home before it rained.

A link to a photo would be nice... Probably wasn't an earwig; they can
fly in a pinch but never appear to be interested in doing so.

On 6/28/2016 4:41 PM, Micky wrote:

But today one was real scarey looking. I didn't recognize it but it
was pretty big and had two 3/4" long strands, one on either side on
the rear of the bug, looking like jet fighter tailhooks.

1) Anyone know what that is? and
2) Any truth to the idea that the scarey looking ones are less likely
to sting?

Sounds like an earwig.
http://entomology.unl.edu/images/ear...ro_earwigs.jpg

If it's a wasp, probably a Polistes.

They use their sting for hunting, not defense, you're unlikely to have trouble unless you grab it.

On Wed, 29 Jun 2016 08:05:06 -0500, Moe DeLoughan
wrote:

On 6/28/2016 4:41 PM, Micky wrote:

But today one was real scarey looking. I didn't recognize it but it
was pretty big and had two 3/4" long strands, one on either side on
the rear of the bug, looking like jet fighter tailhooks.

1) Anyone know what that is? and
2) Any truth to the idea that the scarey looking ones are less likely
to sting?

Sounds like an earwig.
http://entomology.unl.edu/images/ear...ro_earwigs.jpg

Thanks. I've heard of earwigs but didn't know what they looked like.

That's not the one. Its rear things look like crab claws, but the
ones I saw were just strands, about as thick as button-hole thread,
dangling down, rather than stiffly in a plane with the bug's body.

Plus I think the thorax was black and fuzzy, and maybe distinct from
the head.

On Wed, 29 Jun 2016 08:06:58 -0700 (PDT), TimR
wrote:

If it's a wasp, probably a Polistes.

They use their sting for hunting, not defense, you're unlikely to have trouble unless you grab it.


Good to know. No yellow in this bug, but it had a segmented body sort
of like your wasp.

At least it didn't stay to build a nest. So far they all leave by
morning, and there are really very few bugs, only 2-6 moths and a
couple other things. I wonder if CFL's dont' attract them like real
light bulbs do.

Micky was thinking very hard :
On Wed, 29 Jun 2016 08:05:06 -0500, Moe DeLoughan
wrote:

On 6/28/2016 4:41 PM, Micky wrote:

But today one was real scarey looking. I didn't recognize it but it
was pretty big and had two 3/4" long strands, one on either side on
the rear of the bug, looking like jet fighter tailhooks.

1) Anyone know what that is? and
2) Any truth to the idea that the scarey looking ones are less likely
to sting?

Sounds like an earwig.
http://entomology.unl.edu/images/ear...ro_earwigs.jpg

Thanks. I've heard of earwigs but didn't know what they looked like.

That's not the one. Its rear things look like crab claws, but the
ones I saw were just strands, about as thick as button-hole thread,
dangling down, rather than stiffly in a plane with the bug's body.

Plus I think the thorax was black and fuzzy, and maybe distinct from
the head.

Mayfly perhaps?