The Only Guide to "Yellow Stripey Things" You Will Ever Need

Sep 13, 2018 by apost team

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and the blue sky is just calling out to you to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. Whether you are at home in your own garden or enjoying the sights at a local park, getting out and getting moving can be a great way to spend your leisure time and soak up some of that beauty only the outdoors can provide.

But wait...what's that sound? That buzzing that might send a chill coursing up and down your spine? A bee! Or maybe a wasp! Or...is it?

apost.com

There are so many different types of flying, striped, seemingly threatening insects. But are they all dangerous? From the Bumblebee to the Cicada Killer, we will look at a few of the more common stripey insects that you may encounter during your outside travels and discuss whether or not you should really be concerned.

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us! 

These big guys can seem pretty intimidating what with their large bodies and inordinate amounts of "fluff." However, the bumblebee is, if anything, the gentle teddy bears of the yellow striped insect kingdom. Bumblebees are one of the world's most important pollinators and are responsible for the successful growth of much of the food we eat.

Bumblebees can sting, but they generally tend to save their stingers for targets they consider a threat to their homes, called colonies. Keep an eye out for these big, clumpy nests which are usually near or on the ground--sometimes even below the ground! Big piles of dead timber or leaves are a favorite for these big softies.

This type of bee looks very similar to a bumblebee in terms of size but is often less "fluffy" and more "shiny" in the abdomen region. And much like bumblebees, these are not your impulse stinging insects; rather, they prove a much tougher issue when it comes to wood and structural damage.

Female carpenter bees like to tunnel into wood when they are preparing to lay their eggs, hence the name. They are also far more solitary than other colony-forming bee populations and thus are less likely to attack in self-defense. You are more likely to encounter problems with this type of bee near your home eating at the wood in your eaves that you are taking a pleasant walk through the local gardens.

The honey bee is perhaps the most popular and widely recognized type of bee that is largely responsible for--you guessed it!--the production of the world's honey supply. These bees are smaller than bumblebees and carpenter bees and are split between three known sub-types within a colony population: the queen bee, the worker bees, and the drones. All have their essential role to play in the life of the colony and the production of honey.

Most honey bees that you might see outside today are from the European variety that tend to be more docile and worried more about finding pollen than where you might be walking. However, in the 1950s, scientists worked on creating a hardier type of bee and produced what is now known as the "Africanized honey bee" which can be a bit more temperamental. The rule of thumb with any bee, especially those that form colonies, is to steer clear of their hives and take care not to disturb the workers while they are pollinating.

This striped insect is a particularly interesting specimen in that it has evolved to take on the appearance of a wasp although it is, in fact, just a fly with no stinging capabilities. Many different types of animals take on the role of "infiltrators" in terms of appearance for a very simple reason: to trick predators. A predator is much less likely to tangle with a nasty looking wasp and its painful stinger when there are less dangerous insects around.

All that being said, the hoverfly is completely harmless. They can be identified by their large, round eyes (similar to a house fly) and their generally slender bodies that lack the more defined segments of the larger wasps and bees.

It is likely that you have seen a paperfly wasp nest, even if you did not know it at the time: they most often take the form of many celled groupings that are built along the corners in doorways, in the rafters, or in other such corners and crannies around your home. These nasty insects are defined by their distinct, rounded abdomen tipped with that deadly stinger and red-brown bands around a yellow body.

Unlike the several different bee varieties we have covered, the paper wasp is, indeed, the striped insect that you will want to watch out for. They can be aggressive and highly territorial and are often ready to sting before they even consider the possibility of a negotiation.

These wasps have a bad reputation within the striped insect world--and it is a reputation that they have earned with diligent action. Not only are yellow jackets one of the few carnivorous wasp species, they are also highly aggressive and ready to sting with the smallest provocation. Similar to bumblebees, yellow jackets tend to nest closer to the ground and, because of their size and distinct color, are often mistaken for the far less dangerous bee.

Yellow jackets can sting multiple times and are persistent in the chase to do so when they are provoked. Look for their well defined, rounded abdomens and black stripes over bright yellow carapace.

Perhaps the most obscure striped insect on our list, the cicada killer is a type of wasp that is far more docile than its yellow jacket and paper wasp cousins. True to their name, these wasps tend to feast primarily on cicadas. Furthermore, they are not aggressively protective of their homes and will likely just ignore you so long as you extend the same courtesy.

Last but not least, we come to the dirt dauber: a solitary wasp with a unique, narrow-body shape that likes to keep to itself and build nests out of mud. Much like bees, these wasps will only sting if they feel threatened and do not have the same aggressive tendencies of some of their more wicked cousins. Their nests resemble intricate tubes made of mud that are split internally into many different chambers to house their eggs.

Since there are so many different types of stinging striped insects, it is important that you identify what has stung you to the best of your ability. Most stings, though painful, are not life threatening and will heal over time. In the meantime, here are a few things you can do to ease the discomfort:

1. Cleanse the affected area with soap and water.

2. Hold an ice pack to the affected area to help reduce swelling.

3. If you are concerned about the wound getting infected, cover it with a sterile bandage.

If you suffer from a severe allergy, make sure that you seek medical attention immediately. Spread this information to your friends and family so they can be aware as well.