Modern Vespa

Saw this just a few hours ago. First time I've seen this, looks like a wasp. it was f'ing huge, freaked me out a bit as I have bad memories of those massive wasps or 'jack somethings' (as my god-father calls them) in Trinidad.

That's a bee.................not a wasp.

looks like a big horse fly kind of critter

it's a giant horsefly imitating a bee trying to look like a wasp.

There's nothing to give an idea of scale - it's like watching a 1950's horror film.

those flowers in the background are 6" across

genie you are a trouble maker

but you are right, that's a biter, not a stinger

Its a Hover fly its neither a stinger or a biter, perfectley harmless just looks like a Wasp for its own protection

It sure does a good job of looking like something mean. I certainly wouldn't bother it.

<<<<<<<<Wasp

this is a wasp:


yours is a killer bee...

j/k i know it's a bee don't know if it's a killer or not.

That's a blowfly on his way to a Hull City home game!

Is that thing eating steroids?

Jack somethings - Yellow jackets maybe?

In France bees are so cherished (for their honey) people keep hives on city apartment balconys, and on rooftops.
There's even a big hive kept on top of the Paris Opera House..!

Without bees we'd be eating only meat, wheat products and bread, as you wouldn't have the fruits and vegtable plants being pollinated...
Bees and wasps also kill and eat many garden pests that would otherwise devour flowers and food plants!

It sometimes scares me when I see how we've become so "civilized" and so out of touch with nature in many parts of our country that we've become frightened of all kinds of bugs, bees, snakes, etc....

Me? I'm only afraid of deer......

Jack Spaniards they were called (I had to look it up). They got big from what I can remember, they looked like they were a least 2" long (I was about 6 years old in my first encounter with them)

Two years ago we had a huge wasp's nest under the eaves.

I waited until it got cold and the monsters were asleep to get rid of it.

That summer, I enjoyed my deck more than ever as there were almost no mosquitos or flies. Guess who ate them all??

Now, the wasps are gone and the deck is hardly used.

Real wasps are good for some things.

BTW--that thing OP took a picture of, isn't a wasp at all. It is utterly harmless.

P.

Here is a photo of a WASP.