These oval-shaped insects are slate grey to black, 7.5 to 11 mm long, with elbowed antennae. Their elytra (wing covers) are covered with tiny concave areas and patches of short grey or yellow hairs and golden “scales.” They are flightless, since the elytra are fused, but can run quickly.
The legless larvae are creamy white with light brown heads.
This large reddish-brown leaf-footed bug is 15 to 20 mm long. It has broad tibiae on its hind legs and its slightly thickened forewings have a fairly distinct white zigzag marking.
These crickets may be various shades of yellow, green and brown. Their legs are often reddish, with black joints on the hindlegs.
The males are smaller than the females: 12 to 20 mm long for the males and 20 to 35 for the females. The males’ wings are long, reaching to the tip of the abdomen, while the wings of the flightless females cover only three-quarters of the abdomen. They have fairly short, thread-like antennae.
These green crickets are 40 to 52 mm long. When populations are dense, it may be possible to find some yellow or bright pink individuals. As in other members of the Tettigoniidae, their antennae are longer than their bodies. The oblong, fairly wide wings also extend past the abdomen. The head is rounded on top and there is a large space between the antennae at their base. The legs are long.
The female has a laterally flattened ovipositor (egg-laying organ).
These beetles are recognizable by their bright metallic colours. The head and thorax are usually green, and the elytra (wing covers) are copper. There are five small tufts of white hair on either side of the abdomen. They reach 12 mm long.
The white grubs have brown heads and three sets of legs. They adopt a crescent-shaped position in the soil, and may be up to 32 mm long.
Pigeon tremex look like long, cylindrical wasps. The thorax is reddish-brown and the abdomen is marked with yellow and black bands. The wings vary from golden brown to black. The adults of both sexes have pointed appendages at the end of the abdomen. The females also have a long, slender egg-laying organ, called an ovipositor. The adults are from 2.5 to 5 cm long, with the females slightly larger than the males.
The white larvae, 5 cm long, have light brown heads and a black spine at the tip of the abdomen. Their legs are relatively undeveloped.
Horntails are related to wasps. The adults have thick, cylindrical black or metallic blue bodies from 2.5 to 4 cm long. The males are generally smaller, but more colourful than females. They sometimes have yellow or red markings. They have four translucent wings, and are powerful, skilful fliers. Their name comes from the horn-shaped appendage at the end of the abdomen, on both sexes. The females also have a long, slender egg-laying organ called an ovipositor, at the tip of the abdomen. The soft, whitish larvae can be up to 4.5 cm in length
These wasps are black with yellow spots. They have a narrow waist (pedicel) about the same length as the rest of the abdomen. They range in total length from 24 to 28 mm.
These insects owe their name to the short golden hairs that cover the thorax and head.
They have black antennae and orange or golden brown wings. The legs are orange, except for the coxa, the part nearest the body, which is black. Great golden digger wasps have a narrow waist and a bi-coloured abdomen: orange-red in front and black behind. Their total length is 15 to 27 mm, and males are slightly smaller than females.
These insects come in widely varying sizes (10 to 55 mm long), but all have an elongated abdomen attached to the thorax by a characteristic “thread-waisted” long, narrow, petiole-shaped structure. They may be entirely black or brown or dark with white, yellow or red markings. The females’ forelegs often have specialized structures for digging.
The larvae are pale coloured and legless.
In the past, the Sphecid family included the Crabronidae [lien], a fairly similar-looking group of wasps that now forms a separate family.
