[attachment=5:4b37b4gu]paper_wasp_full.jpg[/attachment:4b37b4gu][attachment=6:4b37b4gu]BaldFacedHornet-kurt-jaeger.jpg[/attachment:4b37b4gu][attachment=4:4b37b4gu]Sceliphron-mud-dauber.jpg[/attachment:4b37b4gu][attachment=3:4b37b4gu]velvet_ant_full.jpg[/attachment:4b37b4gu][attachment=2:4b37b4gu]thumbnailCA22A726.jpg[/attachment:4b37b4gu][attachment=1:4b37b4gu]eurowasps.jpg[/attachment:4b37b4gu][attachment=0:4b37b4gu]mantis.jpg[/attachment:4b37b4gu] The more common wasp and hornets we encounter the most often--and the ever present praying mantis collectively for us beekeepers they do take honeybees but not on a noticable scale unless the individual colonies are really quite weak.
Re: wasps, velvet ants, hornets, just we know what we are se I'm not sure what that is in the velvet ant picture... but this is the variety of velvet ant that we have in Tennessee... http://www.duke.edu/~jspippen/hymenoptera/velvet-ant060516-8391facez.jpg And a note about mud-daubers, they prey on black widow spiders.
Re: wasps, velvet ants, hornets, just we know what we are se That's the same velvet ant we have down here in Fla.,and I've never seen one here like the one shown in Barry's pic.
Re: wasps, velvet ants, hornets, just we know what we are se Excellent post! The yellow jacket colony was fascinating... I have only ever seen them as a hole in the ground. Another note about European Hornets: They ARE large! - up to 2" long, and they buzz like a helicopter when flying. In the photo you see only a tiny part of the colony... there will be a large brown paper nest in the wall behind. They fly at night and are attracted to the lights in your house. It also takes quite a number of vigorous whacks with a shoe to subdue one that finds its way inside... this I know!
Re: wasps, velvet ants, hornets, just we know what we are se the first pic is a velvet ant, they are found in the western US The red one is a cow killer and is found in the eastern US. I can guarantee the cow killer has a stinger that is 1/2" long
