Horntails are actually wasps, but these insects do not bite or sting. They rarely cause structural damage since they do not lay their eggs in construction wood after it is cut and dry. But, if infested wood was used in a home without proper drying and aging, adults might show up as they emerge from the infested wood.

Can a pigeon horntail sting you?

While the gentle, just-under-two-inch-long horntail looks dangerous, it neither bites nor stings. ... Horntails (family Siricidae) are often called “wood wasps” because their eggs are laid in wood and their young spend both their larval and pupal stages there.

Does wood wasp sting?

What is a Wood wasp? ... As a member of the wasp family, the female is black and yellow-coloured, with a very long 'sting'. This is her ovipositor, which she uses to penetrate into the timber to lay her eggs, specifically in timbers such as pine.