Bees, Ants, Wasps and Similar

American Bumble Bee
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
Similar to Golden Northern Bumblebee (Bombus fervidus) but larger; black coloring just behind the wings; 1 to 3 stripes of yellow appearing on abdominal segments.... READ MORE

Bald-Faced Hornet
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
Blad-faced Hornets are related to yellow jackets but are not "true" hornets themselves. This species features a rather stout body and are colored in white and black from head, thorax and abdomen. The abdomen is finished off by a band of white. Males ... READ MORE

Black Carpenter Ant
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
Black Carpenter Ants are relatively large. Known mostly by color, this type of ant also has 1 segement to its waist and a long abdomen containing lightly-colored dull hairs. Though their name suggests otherwise, Carpenter ants do not eat wood and... READ MORE

Cicada Killer
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
These solitary wasps rarely sting. They ambush cicadas, oftentimes in mid-air. Even their larvae eat cicadas. Adults also drink flower nectar. They are mostly seen in the summer and form nests underground. Large nests are problematic on lawn... READ MORE

Common Thread Waisted Wasp
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
The incredibly thin 'waist' on this wasp led to its name. Adults feed on flower nectar, but larvae are parasitic. Females use their paralyzing sting to disable caterpillars and other insects. These unfortunate victims are then brought to an u... READ MORE

Eastern Carpenter Bee
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
Though is looks like a Bumble Bee, the Carpenter Bee does not have a fuzzy abdomen. Females bore into wood, like a carpenter, making holes as large as their bodies and deposit their eggs and a food supply inside. They can be found in parks, ... READ MORE

Golden Northern Bumble Bee
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
The Golden Northern Bumble Bee features an all-black head and dark wings. A black band runs across the mostly yellow thorax and the abdomen is nearly all yellow with the exception of the very tip, which is black. White coloring is also present to the... READ MORE

Honey Bee
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
Honey Bees break down into two classes, the worker bees (numbering up to 80,000 in a single nest) and the Queen Bee. Working bees feature a nearly all-black head with a body coloring of golden brown and black with patches of a dull orange. Yellow ... READ MORE

Horntail Wasp
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
Females appear to have two menacing stingers, but they are actually an ovipositor (for injecting eggs into wood) and a spine that aids in splitting wood. ... READ MORE

Ichneumon Wasp
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
There are several different species, each with its own color variations. All have the wasp body shape, the abdomen being much longer than the rest of the body. Females may have a long, needle-like ovipositor which is often mistaken as a stinger.... READ MORE

Pigeon Tremex
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
Many species of horntail wasps have an elongated spine at the tip of their abdomen in addition to a stinger. Females have ovipositors that can be as long as their entire body. The ovipositor looks similar to a needle and is used by the female to in... READ MORE

Red Velvet Ant
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
Although they look like ants, Velvet ants are acutally hairy wasps! They scurry about the ground like ants and carry a painful sting. Males can fly, but females are wingless. Adults drink nectar. ... READ MORE

Tarantula Hawk
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
Male and female Tarantula Hawks vary in subtle ways. Male antenna are straight, while their abdomens are segmented into 7 sections. Female antenna are curved with their abdomens segmented into only 6 sections. Tarantula Hawks take on a variety of col... READ MORE

Thistle Down Velvet Ant
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
Although it looks and walks like an ant, this hairy little creature is a wasp! This particular species mimics the seeds of the creosote bush, blending in with the other debris around it. Larvae feed on the larvae of the Sand Wasp. Females wil... READ MORE

Yellow Jacket
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
Yellow Jackets are easily distinguishable by their yellow and black coloring. Measuring in length from 12mm to about 16mm, the Yellow Jacket is a common sight throughout all of North America. These flyers are commonly found along the edges of forests... READ MORE