Freaky Wasp in my Garden - What Sort?

PasturesNew

This little beastie has been staggering round my garden for 2½ hours, during which time he's walked about 12 feet.

https://s29.postimg.org/5eejhtu6v/Big_Wasp_142738447_758.jpg

What is that?

ad21wcxzs

PasturesNew

He's slow moving, so I got a couple of snaps... although he's not happy at me taking the photos so decided to continue walking once I started lurking around him.

Another photo: https://s8.postimg.org/6fetnlgbp/Big_Wasp_142750488.jpg

sel8asx5y

coffeehound

Looks like it might be a gadfly?

PasturesNew

coffeehound wrote: »

Looks like it might be a gadfly?

Never heard of that

Another photo, allbeit not brilliant
https://s30.postimg.org/b64vll0xd/Big_Wasp_142545973.jpg

Using a mobile phone - so can't see a thing on the screen - and getting as close as I can .... while trying not to shake too much and hoping he doesn't decide to take a dislike to me and fly at me

Farway

It is not a wasp, it is a fly looking like a wasp to avoid predators

Perhaps a hover fly?

PasturesNew

I do dislike "outdoors" ... so many creepy things out there. I've had scorpion beetles and mayflys too in the past. They're not pleasant to see.

coffeehound

PasturesNew wrote: »

Never heard of that

Slang for Horsefly

PasturesNew

Cheers for the steer that it's some fly variant... I was kind of just checking it wasn't some alien "Deathly Asian Hornet" or similar thing

coffeehound

Hopefully Pyxis can tell you for sure what it is!

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

coffeehound wrote: »

Hopefully Pyxis can tell you for sure what it is!

Can I help instead?

It's a male Dark Giant Horse Fly.

Won't bite you. But the females do - and it's a pretty nasty bite with the size, fairly large hole left and the itching. Oh, the itching.


I'd guess you live near the New Forest or somewhere up in the Northwest/Wales where there are boggy areas and horses/cattle/deer.

Horrid things.