Horntail Wood Wasp (family Siricidae)

Observation by Beverly Churchill:

I saw this insect sitting on a window ledge in downtown Anchorage. I have NEVER seen this insect before, much less in Alaska. I looked it up to identify it and it said they are found in the forests of California.

Jessie Moan, Forest Health Technician with the UAF Cooperative Extension, writes:

This is a horntail, sometimes also called a wood wasp. They are not uncommon in Alaska. Wood wasps spend most of their lives in wood and are usually found in already dead or downed material. The projection on the end of their abdomen is not a stinger so they are much less menacing than they may appear to be.

Comments from LEO Editors:

Wood boring insects are attracted to weakened, dying, and in particular, fire-damaged trees. Insect activity around fire-damaged trees can aid in the decomposition process and contribute to forest health.

Wood wasps range from 0.5-1.5 inches and are either blue, black, or reddish brown with red, ivory, or yellow markings. Unlike other wasps, they have thick waists and do not posses a stinger. Female wood wasps (family Siricidae), use long, ovipositers that look like stingers to "drill" in to the wood and lay her eggs. When hatched, wood wasp larvae will tunnel under the bark, and leave clean-cut holes when they emerge as fully developed adults. Source: U.S. Forest Service publications Wood Wasps (Horntails) and Wood Boring Insects in Alaska. Erica Lujan