Bee/wasp/hornet...I can never tell the difference: Found this guy hanging upside down underneath the hummingbird feeder. So when I put the photo on my computer, I turned it so he's...

aschweik Loc: NE Ohio

Found this guy hanging upside down underneath the hummingbird feeder. So when I put the photo on my computer, I turned it so he's right side up. I just like the way the sun comes through and highlights his....hair? I'm sure there's something I could have done better on this so if anyone has any suggestions, fire away.

Tamron 90mm macro
Nikon D7200
1/400
F11
ISO800

(Download)

Jakebrake Loc: Broomfield, Colorado

Nice capture Audrey!👍

PhotoPhred Loc: Cheyney, Pa

Looks like a yellow jacket, a type of hornet. They can be very aggressive and the females will sting repeatedly. They usually live in the ground or rotted trees.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Nicely done.

newtoyou Loc: Eastport

aschweik wrote:

Found this guy hanging upside down underneath the hummingbird feeder. So when I put the photo on my computer, I turned it so he's right side up. I just like the way the sun comes through and highlights his....hair? I'm sure there's something I could have done better on this so if anyone has any suggestions, fire away.

Tamron 90mm macro
Nikon D7200
1/400
F11
ISO800

How long was it? The head to body proportion looks wrong for yellow jacket. The European Social Wasp is about 1.25" long, the yellow jacket .75". They are similar in looks, but ESW is much more aggressive with a larger head to body size. The brood in the nest is now the reproductives for next year's generation. As year progresses adults get more agressive at any source of sweets. Rotten fruit, etc. ESW & YJ can make cider pressing exciting as they swarm to the smell. I try not to guess at this, and so the documentation.
Bill

aschweik Loc: NE Ohio

Thanks, everyone. Bill, he wasn't very large, definitely less than an inch. I'd say maybe 3/4". I looked at the other pics I took of him and they are all similar to the one I posted. I was thinking maybe I had one to show him more in relation to the feeder. There are a few of his face looking toward the camera, but the others are from the side like this one. He didn't care much that I was there, he was more interested in sugar water. Thanks for everyone's input. Appreciated!

newtoyou Loc: Eastport

aschweik wrote:

Thanks, everyone. Bill, he wasn't very large, definitely less than an inch. I'd say maybe 3/4". I looked at the other pics I took of him and they are all similar to the one I posted. I was thinking maybe I had one to show him more in relation to the feeder. There are a few of his face looking toward the camera, but the others are from the side like this one. He didn't care much that I was there, he was more interested in sugar water. Thanks for everyone's input. Appreciated!

Thank you.
Bill

enygy Loc: LI, NY

love the backlit highlights in her hairdo!

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

This is a yellow jacket. The markings are a good match for the downy yellow jacket, Vespula flavopilosa, see https://bugguide.net/node/view/1220181, for example. It is much too robust for the European paper wasp.
Anyway, I really like this picture. The lighting is highly 'arty', as we say, so it is much more than just an insect picture.

napabob Loc: Napa CA

nice ambiance............

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Great shot. I wish I had hair like that.

RichJ207 Loc: Sammamish, WA

I had an exterminator out Friday to deal with a nest of wasps in the ground. He used a termitecide. It didn’t bother them as they flew around in the spray but it supposedly acts like a virus and gets passed around in the nest, eliminating all of the insects. $165 paid for the service and now I know what to buy next time.

Very nice picture!