Please help ID this vespid (hornet, wasp, or yellow jacket)

Mmathis

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This guy ended up in my trap, but there is another one still flying around. It is always checking things out -- like leaves & leaf litter -- close to ground level. I don't invade its space, but it doesn't seem aggressive at a distance. I'm used to red wasps, so this one is a mystery, and first time ever spotted in our yard.
 
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Oh girl. That there is a yellow jacket and they are bad news. I love nature and have a very "live and let live" relationship with most all creatures. But when I see yellow jackets getting cozied in, I get nervous. They do love to dip down onto freshly turned dirt and like composted stuff. I don't know if they are getting a mineral snack from the dirt or what. One or two visitors is OK, but if you see them obviously nesting in your ground or in some rocks, get ready to figure out a solution. They are VERY aggressive and when one stings you, it marks you with some chemical that makes the rest of the hive/nest go after you. They are really turds of bee/wasp world.
 

sissy

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You don't want to get stung by that guy .Had a nest under my carport roof and they would not let you near the cars ,they would attack .
 
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I have a lot of native plantings and see a lot of yellow jackets. They have even landed on me while I was working in the garden. Even had a nest in the pitch of my roof one year. I haven't been stung once.

They seem to fly more aggressively, but I really don't know if they're any worse any other bee.
 

JBtheExplorer

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They seem to fly more aggressively, but I really don't know if they're any worse any other bee.

I've been stung by yellow jackets on multiple occasions, always due to them landing on me and stinging me. They don't think twice about stinging, and their habit of landing on people, especially in the Autumn, when they're drunk, leads to a lot more stings than other wasps. I've heard they're a nightmare if you stumble on their nest, but luckily I've never had that experience. What makes them the worst is their sting. It hurts, and it can linger.

Native bees tend not to sting even if you touch them. They always fly away or to the next flower. They're too focused on that. Some don't even have stingers. I've interacted with thousands of native bees just over the past few years and have not once, to my knowledge, been stung. I say "to my knowledge" because many of their stings are no more painful than a mosquito bite, so if I've ever been stung, I sure didn't notice. Bumble bees are a little different because they're one of the few native bees that do live in colonies, so they'll protect it if there's a threat. I've heard their sting is painful.
 
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I think with yellow jackets, they are more aggressive at different times of the year -- more protective? More territorial? I read something once about that... can't remember specifics. The lone investigators have always been really fascinated with the dirt whenever I'm working in the yard. If they leave me alone, I'm very happy to let them do their thing... Always happy to have pollinators!
 
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Bees have to give the ultimate sacrifice to sting you - yellow jackets can sting and sting and sting all day long. And they will. Ugh. I hate those things. Are they even pollinators? We call them garbage bees or picnic spoilers.
 

JBtheExplorer

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Are they even pollinators? We call them garbage bees or picnic spoilers.

They are pollinators, but only minimally. They don't do nearly the work of native bees or other wasps.

They're one of the only creatures I'd get rid of if I could, along with my most hated creature. Ticks.
 

Mmathis

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They are pollinators, but only minimally. They don't do nearly the work of native bees or other wasps.

They're one of the only creatures I'd get rid of if I could, along with my most hated creature. Ticks.
And fire ants! I HATE FIRE ANTS! Yes, and notice that this guy was caught in a trap.....
 

MoonShadows

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I was clearing some brush a few years back and disturbed a yellow jacket nest. I paid the price with about 7 or 8 stings trying to get out of there. Their stings hurt more than the average wasp sting.
 

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