Weird Bug...

So I stepped outside one night to take the trash out, or some other odd job, and noticed this huge bug on the siding right by the front door. I was literally as long as my hand, with a long slender tail that made up most of its length. I had never seen a bug like this in my life, and I grew up in this general area. I managed to take a few pictures of the bug, but it was hard to get a good shot since it was dark and I was trying to take a close up shot…

I did a little looking online and found out that it is a member of the wasp family, but it does not sting. It is essentially harmless, but so big it makes you worry. The long tail is actually how it lays it eggs. Apparently it, or at least the larvae, feed on wood boring insects. Since we have a big tree out front with several dead sections, I can only imagine it was looking for a spot to lays its eggs. The tail allows it to lay the eggs deep in the tree.
This is the second unusual member of the wasp family that I have noticed at our home here in Nebraska. Two summers ago I found another member of the wasp family near our front step. It looked like a very large, very furry ant with bright red markings, but it’s body movement was like that of a wasp, except it didn’t have any wings. It turns out that was what is commonly called a “velvet ant”. It was a wingless wasp, but with a very painful sting…so painful, in fact, it has gained the nickname “cow killer.” Haven’t seen one since, however. Didn’t manage to get a picture of that one.

Jason, Emily, Tanner, Bella, & Marleigh