Wasps and Hornets Archives - What's That Bug?

Currently viewing the category: "Wasps and Hornets"

Vespid Wasp Nest from Costa Rica

On May 19, 2013 · Category: Hornets and Yellow Jackets · 2 Comments

Subject: bees
Location: costa rica
May 19, 2013 2:07 pm
Hi!
we saw these nest of bees, in Costa Rica.
We saw very well the activity inside the nest!
Any idea about the species? Not easy, I can believe!
thanks
fred
Signature: fred from belgium

Vespid Wasp Nest

Hi Fred,
These are not bees. They are Paper Wasps in the genus Polistes.

Vespid Wasp Nest

We found a matching photo on Nature.Com on a page entitled An Introduction to Eusociality, but they are only identified to the genus level.

Vespid Wasps: genus Polybia

Correction courtesy of Cesar Crash via comment: Polybia species
Thanks to Cesar’s comment, we looked up his link to the Animal Communications Project where we scrutized the photo of the Polybia Wasps. We did a web search of the genus and found BugEric which mentions they are Vespid Wasps. Eric writes: “Thanks to Google image searches, I eventually pinpointed the wasp as the species Polybia emaciata. It is one of the few social vespid wasps that builds its nest of mud instead of paper. The more durable nature of the mud envelope allows the wasps to “hunker down” or flee when faced with a potential attack by a vertebrate predator. Contrast this behavior with the violent attacks launched by social wasps that build relatively flimsy nests of paper.” Thanks to Eric’s comments, we have moved this to the Hornets and Yellow Jackets category.

I like This

Velvet Ant

On May 3, 2013 · Category: Velvet Ants · Add Comment

Subject: Curious about an unknown bug
Location: Found hidden in the dirt.
May 3, 2013 12:26 am
Hello, bugman. I was wondering around in the backyard earlier today and I found this very interesting bug. I’m not sure what it really is, but i was really curious to find out. I captured it and now I have it in a open container I made for it. I asked some friends and family if they might know it but no. I tried finding pictures or websites that might help me identify the bug, but no help. Then I ran into whatsthatbug.com! I’m not really sure how to explain what type of bug it is but to me, it looks like a bee or a fly mixed with another insect. I’m not too sure, but i’ll leave it to the experts! I’d love to hear back! Thank you so much!
Signature: Miguel

Velvet Ant

Dear Miguel,
Handle this gal with caution. She is a Velvet Ant, a flightless female wasp reported to have a very painful sting. We don’t want to try to identify your Velvet Ant to the species level without a location. If you are in Arizona, this might be Dasymutilla eminentia which is pictured on BugGuide.

Velvet Ant

I like This

Ichneumon

On May 1, 2013 · Category: Ichneumons · Add Comment

Subject: Nighttime waspy thing?!
Location: Southern New Jersey just outside of Philadelphia
April 30, 2013 9:28 pm
Hello bugman! I have these annoying, non-aggressive wasp type bugs all over our property. I usually only find them at night, except for the occasional one that sneaks inside. I caught one the other day and he tried continuously to sting the paper towel, with what resembled a small stinger on his back end. They aren’t aggressive, they seem very unintelligent, and they are very thin in that there isn’t much matter to them. They are a reddish brown see-through color, with clear wings outlined in the same body color. I’ve found several different sizes of them as well. I’ve never seen or heard of a wasp being active at night, so I’m baffled as to what this could be! Southern NJ just outside Philadelphia, warm days(60-70º), cool spring nights(50-60º). Started noticing them last year around this time, lasting through the summer and warmer months of Fall. Any info you could give would be GREATLY APPRECIATED! Thank you (this picture i s zoomed in very close)
Signature: Annoyed in NJ

Ichneumon

Dear Annoyed in NJ,
This is some species of Ichneumon, a member of a very large family of parasitic wasps. Some species are attracted to lights at night. See BugGuide for additional information on this family including this tidbit of information: “About 5,000 described species in North America, possibly 3,000 more undescribed; arguably, the largest animal family, with the estimated 60,000 species worldwide (up to 100,000, according to some estimates).”

Thank you so much for the information and quick response! I look forward to learning more about these little buggers!

I like This

Bee or Sawfly??

On April 30, 2013 · Category: Horntails, Wood Wasps and Sawflies Tagged With: Unidentified · 2 Comments

Subject: Clumsy mountain bee
Location: Ola, Idaho
April 29, 2013 10:16 pm
Here is a bee I photographed in a patch of Mule’s Ear. There were two other varieties of bee out that day, but these are the only ones that would stay still for a photo. I took these in late April at an elevation around 4000 feet near Ola, Idaho.
Signature: Buck Rekow

What’s That Hymenopteran???

Dear Buck,
We do not recognize your Bee and we haven’t time to research its identity prior to posting. Perhaps one of our readers can supply a comment regarding the identity of this Solitary Bee.

Solitary Bee or Sawfly???

Update: Probably a Sawfly
Thanks to a comment from Austin, we took a closer look, and while we still cannot provide a species, we believe Austin is correct that this is a Sawfly. The clubbed antennae seem pretty convincing.

I like This

Thread-Waisted Wasp from India

On April 28, 2013 · Category: Thread Waisted Wasps · Add Comment

Subject: Hey there, Bugman!
Location: Bangalore, Karnataka, India
April 28, 2013 1:49 am
I found this guy in a patch of wilderness in Bangalore, India. He was flying around, carrying little rocks to his little hole in the ground. I was wondering what bug this was? I was a little afraid to get too close, because I wasn’t sure if that was a stinger at the end of his body. I’m uploading two pictures, since only one of them properly shows his abdomen.
Signature: Meg

Thread-Waisted Wasp

Dear Meg,
We apologize for not having the time to hunt out the species for this wasp, but we are relatively certain it is a Thread-Waisted Wasp in the family Sphecidae. This series from BugGuide would support our speculation. Perhaps your female Sphecid Wasp is beginning to seal this nursery burrow.

Thread-Waisted Wasp

I like This

Possibly Parasitized Underwing Caterpillar

On April 25, 2013 · Category: Cutworms and Owlet Caterpillars, Parasitic Hymenopterans Tagged With: food chain, mysteries · Add Comment

Subject: Bug in backyard
Location: Stafford Tx. USA
April 24, 2013 12:06 pm
I live in Stafford TX and found this critter in my yard on a piece of iron…what is it??? Should we run !!!
Signature: Randy

Possibly Underwing Caterpillar, possibly Parasitized by Wasps

Dear Randy,
This is a most curious set of photos, and we are requesting assistance from Eric Eaton prior to posting. This is a Caterpillar and we believe it might be an Underwing Caterpillar in the genus Catocala. They grow quite large. You can also compare your image to this photo of an Underwing Caterpillar on BugGuide. We are most curious about the surrounding objects. They look like the pupae of parasitic Wasps known as Braconids. The wasps are generally quite species specific. Here is a photo from our archive of a Hornworm parasitized by Braconids. The curious thing about your photo is that the pupae are not attached to the caterpillar. Again, we hope to get a more professional opinion for you.

Underwing Caterpillar and possible Parasites

Daniel:
I’m not an expert on caterpillars, but I think your scenario is right on. Definitely braconid pupae. This would be something interesting for Bugguide, and maybe someone else there knows more.
As of yesterday I am now writing blogs (ghostwriting, actually) for The Blogger Pool for a major third party client in the pest control industry. So, I may not always get back to you as quickly as usual. Plus, my wife and I are visiting her family out of state May 5-13, just so you know I won’t be online very often then.
Eric

I like This

Queen European Hornet

On April 20, 2013 · Category: Hornets and Yellow Jackets · 3 Comments

Subject: flying insect
Location: New Jersey, interior
April 19, 2013 9:24 am
Hi there! This one was on an upstairs window screen this morning, and its size is what struck me: it’s close to 2 inches in length.
I’d like to remove the screen to free it to the outside but need to know if it stings (I’m allergic and must be careful of such things…).
Thanks for your help!
Signature: Mila

European Hornet Queen

Dear Mila,
This is a European Hornet, Vespa crabro, a species introduced to North America in the 1800s. We suspect this is a queen that recently emerged from hibernation and that she will look for a suitable place to begin building a new nest to start a new colony. See BugGuide for additional information.

I like This

Spider Wasp with Rain (Huntsman) Spider prey from South Africa

On April 19, 2013 · Category: Huntsman Spiders and Giant Crab Spiders, spider wasps Tagged With: food chain · Add Comment

Subject: Spider Wasp
Location: White River, South Africa
April 19, 2013 6:58 am
Hi Bugman
Thanks for your reply. As it happens I did take some photographs. My wife has most of the shots and it going to try and upgrade the quality of the photos, but I have attached three in their original state for your perusal.
Signature: Steve

Spider Wasp with Huntsman Spider

Dear Steve,
Thank you so much for writing back and providing photos to the comment you posted on the Spider Wasp from South Africa posting. Many Spider Wasps have a metallic sheen and we are curious if your personal observations included the purplish color of the posting you commented upon. We get most of our Spider Wasp and Huntsman Spider submissions from Australia. We are running a bit late this morning, but we will try to identify this species of Spider Wasp in the near future. Your photos are wonderful. We believe that the Spider Wasp might be dragging the Spider up the wall in an effort to glide as far as possible. The wasp could never get off the ground with such a heavy payload, but by taking off from a higher elevation, she can still make use of flight to return to her burrow.

Spider Wasp with Rain Spider

Thank you for reminding us that Huntsman Spiders are known as Rain Spiders in some parts of their range. Your previous comment mentioned the pain of the sting. Do you know this firsthand. North American Tarantula Hawks, another large group of Spider Wasps, are also reported to have among the most painful stings of any insect.

Spider Wasp with Rain Spider

I like This

P. 1 of 13412 3 4 5.100.»»»

Translate This

Vespid Wasp Nest from Costa Rica

Velvet Ant

Ichneumon

Bee or Sawfly??

Thread-Waisted Wasp from India

Possibly Parasitized Underwing Caterpillar

Queen European Hornet

Spider Wasp with Rain (Huntsman) Spider prey from South Africa

Support whatsthatbug.com

Bug Info

Order Your Copy

Most liked posts

Archives

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Support whatsthatbug.com

Bug Info

Most liked posts

Archives