Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Michael C on November 29, 2016, 02:53:33 PM

Title: What kind of bee is this?
Post by: Michael C on November 29, 2016, 02:53:33 PM
What kind of bee is this?

Title: Re: What kind of bee is this?
Post by: paus on November 29, 2016, 03:15:44 PM
these are yellow jackets they are BAAADDD  They make a stacked nest sometimes but similar to wasp nest  They also nest in the ground. They prey on a weak hive.  They crawl up your pants and can sting numerous times.  I got a call about bees in a residence and coming through the sheetrock or plasterboard for Brits and Aussies.  When I made small hole out they came, yellow jackets that is, I already had my suit on and was ready for anything except crawling.  This drill did turn out ok only 4 stings on legs and I got paid and the owners were VERY happy. Oh yes some people call these wasp "Guinea" wasp. TREV
Title: Re: What kind of bee is this?
Post by: Michael C on November 29, 2016, 04:07:00 PM
Thanks.  I've never seen yellow jackets this small around here. They are usually much larger. They have been showing up here recently.
Title: Re: What kind of bee is this?
Post by: Michael Bush on November 30, 2016, 06:29:20 PM
It is not a bee of any kind whatsoever.
Title: Re: What kind of bee is this?
Post by: Psparr on November 30, 2016, 09:41:57 PM
Quote from: Michael Bush on November 30, 2016, 06:29:20 PM
It is not a bee of any kind whatsoever.
All right smarty pants!
Title: Re: What kind of bee is this?
Post by: Dallasbeek on November 30, 2016, 10:31:09 PM
Quote from: Psparr on November 30, 2016, 09:41:57 PM
Quote from: Michael Bush on November 30, 2016, 06:29:20 PM
It is not a bee of any kind whatsoever.
All right smarty pants!

Have you heard of the term "wasp waist?"

If there's a wasp waist on an insect, it must be a wasp.  If not, look further.

So there, smarty pants.
Title: Re: What kind of bee is this?
Post by: Twisted T on December 01, 2016, 11:01:30 AM
I'm not sure that it is even hymenoptera, could be diptera :wink:
Title: Re: What kind of bee is this?
Post by: BeeMaster2 on December 01, 2016, 12:10:16 PM
Quote from: Twisted T on December 01, 2016, 11:01:30 AM
I'm not sure that it is even hymenoptera, could be diptera :wink:

Twisted,
That does not look like a fly to me. With nothing in the picture to compare it to, it is hard to tell size but it is definitely in the Yellow Jacket family.
Jim
Title: Re: What kind of bee is this?
Post by: Michael Bush on December 01, 2016, 02:33:41 PM
There are a lot of different kinds of yellow jackets and they actually don't have a wasp waist.  Other than being shiny and bright yellow and black they are very similar in shape to bees.  Size varies by the variety of yellow jacket, some are smaller than honey bees and some are slightly larger.  The paper wasps around here are often yellow and black and shiny, but they have the wasp waist.
Title: Re: What kind of bee is this?
Post by: Twisted T on December 01, 2016, 04:23:45 PM
Quote from: sawdstmakr on December 01, 2016, 12:10:16 PM
Quote from: Twisted T on December 01, 2016, 11:01:30 AM
I'm not sure that it is even hymenoptera, could be diptera :wink:

Twisted,
That does not look like a fly to me. With nothing in the picture to compare it to, it is hard to tell size but it is definitely in the Yellow Jacket family.
Jim

There is a lot of mimicry in the insect world. You would need to enlarge the image in order to look for halteres. But it does look like a yellow jacket. At any rate, like Mr. Bush says, it is not a bee.
Title: Re: What kind of bee is this?
Post by: Michael Bush on December 04, 2016, 09:09:13 AM
Definitely a yellow jacket.