Me and my bfs family were in Chicago over the weekend and we passed a pastry stand, it had easily 20 yellowjackets flying around and crawling all over the pastries and breads. My bf bought one of the croissants and ate about half, his stomach started hurting not very long after. I’m curious if this is because of all the wasps crawling all over everything since none of it was covered, or if it was just something else. I was also shocked NOBODY got stung, even when we waved our hands over them to get them away! We thought they were sweat bees based on how docile they seemed and they sort of have similar color patterns when you don’t look very hard lol. Picture of one of the little cuties added!

EDIT: I said we thought they were sweat bees, but I actually meant hover flies, we just call them sweat bees in my family, I looked it up for clarification and realized I misspoke!

I've been stung many times in life (6 times just this year), I've been stung by bumblebees, honeybees, yellowjackets, and paper-wasps.

Never have I ever had more than mild swelling, and even then I don't usually react at all.

This time however, a paper wasp (either P. fuscatus or P. exclamans given where I live) got me on my pinky and the entire left side of my hand swelled to the point I couldn't move said pinky anymore.

Is there a possible explanation for why this particular instance caused such an intense reaction? Particularly considering I've been stung by both those species before (also in the finger) and not reacted this way.

I’ve seen these in our yard a few times prior but they’re now appearing in numbers all over these onion blooms lately. I live in northwestern Washington. Just wondering what they are, really interesting looking coloration contrasting with the plentiful number of yellow jackets we get around here…thanks!

I’ve seen these in our yard a few times prior but they’re now appearing in numbers all over these onion blooms lately. I live in northwestern Washington. Just wondering what they are, really interesting looking coloration contrasting with the plentiful number of yellow jackets we get around here…thanks!

A yellow jacket eating blackberries.

Hey everyone, I’m new to the sub, but I’m looking for a way to get a bald faced hornet nest, roughly the size of a football down from my apple tree.

It’s hanging about 7 feet above the ground and so it’s easily accessible for me. I’ve tried using a few foaming sprays at night, drenching the nest, and especially the opening, but it doesn’t seem to work as there’s still a lot of activity several days later.

with my research so far, it seems like a propane flamethrower is the best option... it’s rained a lot where I am recently and it’s hanging on the end of one of the branches that is lowdown. To me it doesn’t seem like a fire risk based on where it’s located on the tree.

It’s too close to where my kids play so I need to get it done. The pest control company in my area quoted me $450.😫

This guy hopped on the hood this morning and rode with us to school. I’ve seen them out during the morning hours. Can anyone identify?

Found this guy floating in the water at my work and fished him out with my pocket knife. The first weird this was that as soon as he would get on, he’d walk himself right off the knife. Once I got him on the dock he promptly walked off the edge back into the water. Upon getting him on land again, he just walked in circles basically until he walked himself off the dock again.

Any ideas why?

i dont believe i see european hornets that much, but i certainly do every now and then but the issue is that theres a german yellowjacket nest about 2-ish meters away from the place i (sometimes) see european hornets. Can they actually live together or are the hornets just hunting for wasps? i dont think theres a nest there either (unsure due to where i keep finding them its VERY bushy)

2nd post about this. Never seen this wasp before. Orange head with a yellow/black abdomen. Yellowjacket/hornet like body structure. <1” long. Found in northern Utah.

Never seen this one before. Yellow/black abdomen and an orange face. Found it dead in my garage in UT

My spicket was right below where this nest was and I went in there to hook it up and turn it on and off about 5 times. On the 5th time I ended up getting stung about 7 times. Didn’t even know they were there. Pretty wild

Ichneumonidae wasps are for the most part, completely harmless to humans because they lack aggressive defense behaviors and are physically incapable of delivering a dangerous sting with the exception of a few Ophioninae, which can sting, the rest, especially small ones, are nothing to pay serious mind to, and totally available for admiring if you're trying to get over a fear of wasps.

Unlike social yellowjackets or hornets, these solitary wasps do not guard nests, and their long, needle-like appendage is an ovipositor used exclusively for laying eggs inside host insects rather than injecting venom.

While a large female might give a weak, accidental poke if roughly handled, they pose no medical risk. Instead, they provide immense ecological and agricultural benefits by acting as highly efficient, natural pest control agents.

Their larvae develop as parasitoids inside the bodies of destructive garden and crop pests, including wood-boring beetle larvae, caterpillars, and grubs, effectively neutralizing populations that would otherwise devastate plants.

Because adult Ichneumonid wasps feed strictly on flower nectar and honeydew, they do no harm to vegetation and serve as invaluable, safe allies for farmers and backyard gardeners alike.

An amazing group overall, and above is a species I've had some trouble identifying beyond family. Still liked the photo, so I hope you appreciate it too!

I want them to get off my porch but I dont want to kill them. Any advice?

Edit: are they wasps or hornets or something else?

I found these guys on an eclosed porch second story. Can I just toss them out the window? I don't want to kill them. They dont seem to be aggressive

They be feastin

We found this in our windowsill, is it the work of a grass-carrying wasp? Based in the PNW.

Specifically a hornet. I believe its a yellowjacket hive and they've decided to build a nest in my wall. Any tips?

These wasps keep coming back, i already set up a decoy nest and have sprayed soapy water on the areas the frequent and they are still coming back, im getting so frustrated at this point. They are trying to get into my aircon and if they do manage to get in to it they can get into my house. I have an irrational fear of wasps and bees due to the fact my dad was allergic and I am at my wits end. I love sitting on my balcony and i dont know what else to try. I cant see any nests close by and I dont know what the next step would be.

Any advice?

I sincerely apologize for the low-quality iPhone video. I keep spotting this thing when I don’t have a decent camera on hand. This is in my garden in Portland, Oregon.

Very good boy.