Subject: Huge yellow jacket?
Geographic location of the bug: Central Virginia
Date: 07/09/2019
Time: 09:34 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Found this monster in my garden today, 7/9/19. It was roughly an inch size. Is this thing a massive yellow jacket or a hornet? How concerned should I be that there are more of them nearby? I do have young kids.
How you want your letter signed: Thanks! Kelsey
Hi Kelsey,
You have nothing to fear. Your children are safe, at least from this Yellowjacket Hover Fly which is also known as a Good News Bee. Many harmless Hover Flies in the family Syrphidae mimic stinging insects as protective mimicry.