Oxfordshire Woodland Group

Whilst sawing and hewing larch logs in the woodland on a nice sunny warm summers afternoon in June a very noisy visitor arrived in the form of a wood wasp (Urocerus gigas). These insects are very large approaching 3 inches long including ovipositor (tail).

The wood wasps are attracted in by the smell of the larch resin looking for places to lay their eggs in the sapwood detected to be just below the bark. They also inject wood destroying fungus.

These insects can be quite alarming and if a woodsman is wearing gloves then the wasps will endeavour to land upon same detecting the smell of resin on the glove surfaces.

Chilterns