A Bug's Life

This evening we enjoyed supper with Ben's family. After the meal, we retreated to the patio to savour a cool breeze and conversation.

Baby Girl snuggled on her grandma's lap. My father-in-law and I lounged in sturdy adirondack chairs. The boys ran around the back yard, chasing a ball. Ben and his sister remained in the house, engaged in a fierce game of Dance Dance Revolution (but that's a whole other story).

Suddenly, an enormous bug swooped down on the patio. It had a fat, yellow and black striped body, huge wings and crescent-shaped eyes. It flew slowly, buzzing around our heads and coming too close to the baby. The insect briefly landed on my knee. I caught a good look at its disturbingly large stinger.

The bug looked like a wasp, but it was twice the size of any wasp I've ever seen. My father-in-law hurried inside to fetch the fly swatter. The bug must have sensed its impending demise, and it buzzed off just as Ben's dad returned to the patio.

On our way home at the end of the evening, I described the encounter to my husband. "I'll bet it was a hornet," he suggested. A hornet? I've never heard of hornets living in Calgary.

So tonight I have spent (more time than I care to admit) online trying to identify the mysterious bug. I've found Alberta Insects to be a helpful resource. Unfortunately, I am frustrated with the results of my search.

I cannot identify my ferocious insect! I've learned that the only hornets found in Alberta are called Baldfaced Hornets, and they are actually members of the yellow-jacket family. I've searched through dozens of pictures of wasps, bees and yellow-jackets. I've also read several descriptions of flying insects native to Alberta.

My best guess is that the huge bug I saw tonight was a queen wasp or yellow-jacket. It was likely not a Baldfaced Hornet. It might have been an insect called an Ichneumon Wasp (otherwise known as a Stump Stabber).

Aaaarg. I concede defeat.