(no subject)

[eirias]

There is a pigeon horntail crawling around our kitchen window in confusion. It's outside, but somehow got to the inside of the screen (our windows are effed up; don't ask). It's a pretty scary looking bug, but as with the last scary bug to grace our yard, the long poky bit is an ovipositor; these guys don't sting.

Even knowing that, I find myself a little creeped by the idea of letting it crawl on my hand, like the guy in the photo. If it were some color combination other than "dark with yellow stripes," however, I don't think I would feel as strongly about it. Is this evidence for biologically-prepared fear triggers, or just a learned response to that color scheme? Either way I think it's kind of neat -- this gut reaction that I can examine, but not easily change.

Comments

[cognative.livejournal.com]

Those things don't sting? Are you sure?

There's a bunch right at the entrance to my old apartment. I'm curious yet repulsed. They seemed pretty aggressive so I assumed they stung (and they're fucking huge).

[eirias.livejournal.com]

If you're sure they're horntails, then yeah, they don't sting.

Key features that seem (to me) to distinguish this from other bugs:

• No wasp-thin waist: abdomen and thorax join to form a cylindrical body
  
• Small horn on the top edge of the butt; females have ovipositor about 1/4" long
  
• Generally crawl with wings flat along the back, not raised at an angle like most wasps

In terms of behavior -- these guys feed on nectar and the females deposit their eggs in wood. That last should be less relevant, though, as I think they are active through the fall and I'm pretty sure the females die after laying the eggs.

[cognative.livejournal.com]

I got a pretty good look at one. The description fits other than the tail which I did not notice. The pic looks similar though mine were maybe bigger.

The strange thing was the behavior. One was basically standing guard outside my door. It would sit in the same exact spot unless something like another insect came by, then it would fly at it and then return. At one point I saw it fighting(?) with other horn tails.

[eirias.livejournal.com]

Huh. I've got no explanation. I'm not even sure that these guys are supposed to be social creatures.

I thought it might be a sawfly, with which horntails are sometimes confused (so saith the internet), but... sawflies seem to look pretty different. And I haven't seen anything about sawfly aggression, either. So I'm doubting that's it.

[nonnihil.livejournal.com]

As a general rule, if the ovipositor is visible, the critter doesn't sting. Relatively few insects have the equipment to move the ovipositor out of the way to deliver a sting.

Once you move from "that long pointy thing is terrifying" to "that long pointy thing means it's probably harmless" it's a lot easier to appreciate wasps.

[ksledgemoore.livejournal.com]

my guess is that it is a learned response. I would be afraid of it, too...then again, I am afraid of basically all bugs even though our house has a zillion of them of all kinds in it. Our windows are pretty bad, too.

[eirias.livejournal.com]

I'm not afraid of most bugs, that's what makes this interesting to me. I was one of those kids that went around picking up rocks to find weird creepy crawlies, and then would try to make them into outdoor pets.

Things that do give me the willies are:

• yellow and black things
  
• anything in my bedroom
  
• anything in too vast a quantity -- I was once grossed out by a few swarms of butterflies!

[kirin]

The yellow-jackets that keep setting up residence in my lawn have done a pretty good job of making me utterly paranoid about anything that seems to be flying at me while I'm mowing. Those bastards hurt.

[harleybitch.livejournal.com]

color combinations can trigger fear in a lot of animals which leads to a lot of 'i should avoid that' type responses. So it may have developed to look waspy.

[ksledgemoore.livejournal.com]

I used to be most terrified of bees and wasps...and maybe I still am, but I don't see them so often. Now I am extremely terrified of mosquitoes. Whenever there is one loose, I end up with at least 3 bites. If there are a lot of them around, I'll get a dozen or more. They get really big and take forever to go away. Sometimes they look like bruises as they heel. If I notice one in my room as I am trying to go to bed, I simply put on bug spray. That is pretty gross to sleep in, but it's better than the alternative (getting bitten and/or not being able to fall asleep due to my crazy fear.)

[jpfed.livejournal.com]

There already exists some evidence for biologically-prepared fear triggers for snakes, in the sense that it is much easier to condition fear of snakes into someone than fear of, say, birds. I believe this was also found for spiders. I don't know whether there this evidence exists for insects, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least.