What Kind of Wasp did I see?

[Elphie360]

While working in my moms garden I kept seeing a wasp flying around. I didn't really pay attention to it, I just shewed it away. Later I think I saw the same species of wasp in my house. It was tying to escape through a closed window so I just trapped it between the glass and the blindes. I was really scared of it b/c this thing was huge! But I must admit it didn't seem very aggresive. I decided just to spray it through the blinds. I heard it fall on the window pain so I just left it there for dead. Little did I know that it wasn't dead, and that it had flown away. So the thing was lost in our house untill the next day when it once again tried to escape through a closed window. My brother and I being the chickens that we are decided to trap it once again. We worked on trying to make it angry so it would fly out and then it could be killed, but no matter how hard we tried this thing just wouldn't leave! Finally my brother just started squishing random places on the window hoping to kill it. While we did hit it a couple of times the thing just kept trying to crawl away! Finally a neighbor came opened up the blinds and sprayed it. ANd did it die? NO. It flew out the open door. Me and my brother want to know what kind it is, though we cant find anything that fits it's discription on the web. It was pretty big, and like a light red kinda goldish color. But it wasn't that dark red like some wasps and it wasn't that yellow like some either. But it did have big wings and stuff like that. Can you help us?

[Newt]

Hi Elphie,

As I was reading your post I kept thinking it was some type of mutant. Then you said, "It was pretty big, and like a light red kinda goldish color." I think what you had in your house was a hummingbird moth! Take a look here at this good pollinator and gentle creature.
https://museum.nhm.uga.edu/kidsclub/htmldocs/moths.htm
https://www.nps.gov/grsa/resources/curriculum/elem/images/hummingbird_moth.jpg
https://www.naturalsciences.org/education/treks/hummers/pages/Hummingbird-moth-at-bee%20balm-1.html

Is that what you saw?
Newt

[femlow]

Newt,

I've seen those! About two years ago, I was out and about a little after dark, and I saw two strange little things flying around my carnations and going after nectar. They flew like hummingbirds, made the sound and everything, but had antennae so I knew it couldnt be, and when I went inside to get a flashlight so I could see them better, they had disappeared before I got back. I havent seen them again, but I've been wondering what they were ever since. Now I finally know.

Thanks,
fem

[Elphie360]

Newt, Sorry nope. this thing was definitly wasp-ish. I would just leave the whole thing alone at it being a wasp but the color keeps making me wonder what it was. It definitly was gold, it was a very pretty color. And I never saw a stinger (I got pretty close to it from the other side of the window). It's behavior was really weird too. It wasn't aggressive at all! No matter how many times we smacked it, it never got angry. And it was smart enough to fly out the door before we could kill it, but stupid enough to stay by the window as we were attacking it. It really is weird!

[Newt]

Elphie, now I'm stumped. So you are saying it had a thin body like a wasp when you say 'waspish'. Scroll down at this site to 'Wasps' and 'Wasps 2'. There is an amazing diversity of wasps.
https://www.whatsthatbug.com/

Another possibility would be some type of dragonfly or damselfly. Dragonflies hold their wings out from their body at a 90* angle and damselflies hold them close to their body. I don't know what state you live in but you could do a google with the terms:
dragonfly + your state
damselfly + your state
This first site has galleries and is mostly Texas. Click on the left for dragonflies and damselflies.
https://stephenville.tamu.edu/~fmitchel/dragonfly/index.html

Look at the middle one in the bottom row.
https://mikulawebsolutions.com/gallerysystem/gallery.cfm?categoryi

Here's the rest of them from the above site.
https://dragonflywebsite.com/gallery/index.htm

Newt

[Newt]

Hi Fem,

So glad you now know what you saw. There are many species of Sphinx moths and you can see them here. Some are amazing.
https://www.whatsthatbug.com/

Newt

[Elphie360]

Hi Newt. Yup, we are sure it was some type of wasp. After looking at that site my brother and I decided that it's body type was a lot like a paper wasp except, it had that beautiful color and clear wings. And I am Texas based if that helps. Thanks for all the help!

[Newt]

I haven't given up yet. Take a look at this Texas site. Keep clicking on 'next' at the bottom of the page until you run out of wasps.
https://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/cimg326.html

Here's more.
https://www.entomology.ucr.edu/ebeling/ebel9-2.html

I have searched alot and have come to the conclusion that you may not be able to id your visitor for certain. There are so many types of wasps and variations in the same species.

Newt

[Elphie360]

Thanks Newt. I guess, like you said, we will never know what kind of bug it was. I will be on the look out for more of them if I see any more near my house (my brother saw another on last week) I will see if we can take a picture and maybe then you wuold be able to find out what kind it was! Thanks for all your help! It was greatly appreciated!

[Newt]

Elphie, I do hope you can get some pictures. Maybe you can also submit them to whatsthatbug.com too.

Newt