Subject: Wasp, hornet, or bee?
Geographic location of the bug: Blue Ridge Mountains, Clarke County, VA
Date: 03/30/2020
Time: 03:24 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: I noticed 2 or more dozen of these in a firewood pile I have on the side of my yard. I need to stack it to season for next winter. I don’t necessarily want to disturb bees if that’s what they are but I also don’t want to get stung by a swarm and find out if I’m allergic if they are Hornets or wasps.
How you want your letter signed: Ross
Dear Ross,
This isn’t a “wasp, hornet, or bee” but rather a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the genus Neoclytus, probably the Banded Ash Borer, a native species that we identified on BugGuide. According to BugGuide: “Adults emerge May-Aug in the North, Feb-Nov in the South” and “often emerges indoors from firewood; sawlogs may become infested within 20 days of felling during summer.” You will not be stung if you stack the wood.