Utahn's Beware! I found a 2" long wasp today...

[LazyBear]

I looked outside in the dog water bucket and found a wasp that I have never seen before. It totally freaked me out because it was 2" long. I'm not kidding!!

I researched the wasp online and this is what I found out - GIANT pigeon tail wood wasp (http://www.whatsthatbug.com/sawflies.html)

If you see one laying eggs on some tree bark or a wood pile, leave it alone. They apparently don't sting and won't hurt anything worth killing it over.

It really is something to see in person though. I'm keeping it for awhile to show it off.

Check out the website in case you ever need to find a bug. It's really fun to send the Entomologists photos and have them respond to you. I didn't....I just got lucky enough to find photos already on their site.

[Shelley]

Wowsers!
Last summer we found a tarantula in our yard. People say we don't have those here....but we do!
It was quite small for a tarantula, but HUGE for spider. My DH saw it running out from under a pile of leaves and thought it was a mouse!

[junebugtraveler]

Last year a wasp got me on my middle finger, right hand. I thought it would get better after a while. It's been 1 full year now and I have lost 50% of the movement in the finger and can't hold or open a jar anymore. Spray their nests in the evening and stay away from them in the daytime. Thanks for the info LazyBear!

[LazyBear]

Wowsers!
Last summer we found a tarantula in our yard. People say we don't have those here....but we do!
It was quite small for a tarantula, but HUGE for spider. My DH saw it running out from under a pile of leaves and thought it was a mouse!

Northern Utah has alot of them. Harper Ward near Brigham has a bunch in their west facing mountains. Box Elder Canyon campground had alot near the west mountain slopes where there is alot of rocks.

Strawberry Reservoir & Porcupine Dam areas have alot too!

[LazyBear]

Last year a wasp got me on my middle finger, right hand. I thought it would get better after a while. It's been 1 full year now and I have lost 50% of the movement in the finger and can't hold or open a jar anymore. Spray their nests in the evening and stay away from them in the daytime. Thanks for the info LazyBear!

Ouch!!! :angryfir:
Maybe the stinger broke off inside your tissue and your body responded by forming a capsule around it. My friend had that happen to him. They dug the stinger out 9 months after he got stung and the finger joint finally healed.

[aimster]

Wowsers!
Last summer we found a tarantula in our yard. People say we don't have those here....but we do!
It was quite small for a tarantula, but HUGE for spider. My DH saw it running out from under a pile of leaves and thought it was a mouse!

WHAT???? You are creeping me out! Was this someone's pet that they let go or do you think it was wild?

[marnec]

:surprise:

GROSS!

[Shelley]

WHAT???? You are creeping me out! Was this someone's pet that they let go or do you think it was wild?
It was wild. I found out that my neighbors have seen them before too. Not often though...like one every 3 or 4 years.

[aimster]

I had no idea they were here in UT. Are they dangerous?

[pac_ut]

We've seen six or seven tarantulas since we moved to Davis County a few years ago. They're harmless but very creepy. Of course, my son always wants to keep them as a pet. I've had to make a new rule - no pets with more than 4 legs!! What we have a ton of is black widows and my neighbor's son was bitten by a hobo spider in his bed! Now that's creepy!!

:search

[Shelley]

Yup, I'm more scared of Hobo spiders than tarantulas. Hobo's are aggressive, tarantulas aren't.

[goodcarma]

Did you see the story on KSL 10:00 news last night about the family in Idaho that is selling their home because of all the snakes? They showed them crawling out from under the foundation and slithering out from under the eaves. Yuck!

Made me happy that we just have mice :tongue2:

[jjames]

I have a pet tarantula named Sabrina. We LOVE her! She sits on my kitchen counter (in her cage, of course) and keeps me company while I'm cooking dinner. In all seriousness, they make ideal pets. They are quiet, LOW maintenance, very clean, INTERESTING, and are happiest when you DON'T take them out of their cages.
My brother gave her to me for Christmas a few years ago as a joke because I'm extremely arachnaphobic and I kept her just to be stubborn, but now she's my baby! I scream and run when I see a teeny tiny house spider, but I love my Sabrina! :love:

[Shelley]

I have a pet tarantula named Sabrina. We LOVE her! She sits on my kitchen counter (in her cage, of course) and keeps me company while I'm cooking dinner. In all seriousness, they make ideal pets. They are quiet, LOW maintenance, very clean, INTERESTING, and are happiest when you DON'T take them out of their cages.
My brother gave her to me for Christmas a few years ago as a joke because I'm extremely arachnaphobic and I kept her just to be stubborn, but now she's my baby! I scream and run when I see a teeny tiny house spider, but I love my Sabrina! :love:
That is hilarious! I guess you showed your brother huh?! :biggrin:

[LazyBear]

I have a pet tarantula named Sabrina.

What in the world do you feed her? Crickets, other spiders, moths? Just curious....

[jjames]

Mostly crickets. Sle loves them and does a happy dance whenever we feed her.

[Melissa]

My husband works new construction throughout Tooele, Herriman, and Draper and sees them quite often. Toole was the last one. I would definately get my house bug sprayed with the guard spray around the outside if you are in a newer area. We are going into their area now!! I am trying to get my husband to let me get sprayed now again so I feel better as about none getting inside from the cold as Wnter comes.

[ingerisotia]

Beware of wolf spiders, too, ugh! There are PLENTY of spiders in the mtns of the Uinta Nat'l Forest.

[ingerisotia]

Plus y'all are making me want to stay RIGHT WHERE WE ARE . . . we rarely see anything worse than a common spider where we are here in AF - & the landlords hire someone to spray!