Subject: Is there a special name for this unusual wasp?
Geographic location of the bug: Manchester, UK
Date: 08/22/2019
Time: 03:24 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Dear Bugman,
A friend of mine saw this wasp a few days ago and thought it was unusual, so he decided to take a picture. He has red feet and a bit of a long nose (the wasp, not my friend). I think he just looks like a normal wasp, but my friend wonders if there’s a special name for him.
Is he special? Or just a run-of-the-mill wasp?
How you want your letter signed: The person who asked you about a boxelder bug 15 years ago
Dear person,
This looks to us to be a Yellowjacket. According to CountryFile: ” What is the most common wasp species found in the UK? The wasp in question is the yellowjacket (Vespula vulgaris), the black and stripy species you often find yourself swatting away. The reputation of this and a few other species has tarred that of another 200,000.” Social wasps like the Yellowjacket sting much more readily than do solitary wasps. If we identified a Boxelder Bug for you 15 years ago, you have a very long history with our site.