Are these bees, yellow jackets, wasps?

Why is man always killing animals that "inconvenience" him? He must be a pretty terrible animal indeed. A destroyer of worlds.

Now, that car door ... looks like quite a junker.
I don't think I would open that door.
In the fall. they serve no good. They switch from being a scavenger to a pest with a sweet tooth and will attack for looking the wrong way at them.
"Destroy or be stung".
 
Seen many hornets, never close to two inches long. Maybe on Star Trek.

https://leafyplace.com/types-of-hornets/#:~:text=Hornet Size,– 3.8 cm) in length.

Hornet Size

Hornets are giant wasps that grow between 1.5” and 2” (3.8 – 5 cm) long. Queen hornets are the largest of the species. They can be over 2” (5 cm) long. Typically, worker hornets are smaller and measure 1.4” to 1.6” (3.5 – 3.8 cm) in length. A hornet’s wingspan is 3” (7.5 cm). Its venomous stinger is 0.25” (0.6) long.
 
I find most these spray insecticides and herbacides are highly toxic to humans. 10 years from now you find out, Oh, Dang! that is some baaaad stuff.

if you are trusting FDA and EPA to be rigorous you are making a BIG mistake.
 

https://leafyplace.com/types-of-hornets/#:~:text=Hornet Size,– 3.8 cm) in length.

Hornet Size

Hornets are giant wasps that grow between 1.5” and 2” (3.8 – 5 cm) long. Queen hornets are the largest of the species. They can be over 2” (5 cm) long. Typically, worker hornets are smaller and measure 1.4” to 1.6” (3.5 – 3.8 cm) in length. A hornet’s wingspan is 3” (7.5 cm). Its venomous stinger is 0.25” (0.6) long.
I seen them, their nests, activity and don't buy into that explanation. Believe the queen size as stated .Been chased by them too. If the article said they can stand on their heads, would you believe it?
 
I seen them, their nests, activity and don't buy into that explanation. Believe the queen size as stated .Been chased by them too. If the article said they can stand on their heads, would you believe it?
I live in a wooded area and 5 years ago I spent over $1000 to cut open an exterior wall to have a large nest of hornets removed. I haven't grabbed one and put a tape measure to it, but can tell you they are 2 inches long, easy.
 
I live in a wooded area and 5 years ago I spent over $1000 to cut open an exterior wall to have a large nest of hornets removed. I haven't grabbed one and put a tape measure to it, but can tell you they are 2 inches long, easy.
Same rule applies, no pics- never existed.:cautious:
 
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Why is man always killing animals that "inconvenience" him? He must be a pretty terrible animal indeed. A destroyer of worlds.

Now, that car door ... looks like quite a junker.
I don't think I would open that door.
I get what you are saying. I don't kill things i don't have to. But a nest near your home or in a car you use or will work on, or even pass by , remove them.

Especially yellow jackets. They can kill you. You don't have to be allergic. You can get 30-100 stings from stepping unknowingly on a nest. People die from them.. We used to run into them mowing hay, or bush-hogging a field. My father got stung 30-40 times all round his neck and face, when we were working on a field. We ran 1/4 mile to the house. His doctor said, if he made it that far, he will live, take some antihistamine.

But if they are a threat esp to kids, best to remove them.

Honey bees, i'd call a local beekeeper for removal.
 
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Here’s a new one - plumbing had backed up a couple days ago - so there were still beach towels etc to be washed.
Starting the day in the dark (jet lag) - I did a load and went to a single wire clothes line we use for durable items …
As I reached for a clothes pin left on the line - it “moved” … freakin red wasps had started a nest on the clothes pin …
Thought I knew all their places by now 😳
 
I found a Yellow Jacket nest today.
The “I’ll fix you” mode kicked in.
The Raid Wasp and Hornet only pissed them off more. I got tagged good on my hand. I’ve been stung by other bees and wasps but, Yellow Jackets are vicious.
It will be 36F in the morning and they are getting the gasoline treatment.
 
I found a Yellow Jacket nest today.
The “I’ll fix you” mode kicked in.
The Raid Wasp and Hornet only ****** them off more. I got tagged good on my hand. I’ve been stung by other bees and wasps but, Yellow Jackets are vicious.
It will be 36F in the morning and they are getting the gasoline treatment.
Make sure to do it before light. Otherwise you will get tagged again. A good 2 hours after dark seems to work well. Take a flashlight and set it on the ground or on a log trained on the hole. Just don't hold it in your hand. Approach from a 45 degree angle or so from the light , and dump a 1/2 cup or so of gasoline in the hole. Run away. Come back for the flash light in an hour.
 
We had a family friend recently attacked by Africanized bees …
He was rushed to hospital - the FD went after the bees and found their dog dead …
 
Being the common layman, we tend to use words fairly loosely, and when one is not an expert at something, it's just easy to do so. And the rest of the non-experts accept the use of many terms which technically aren't accurate. Wasps, hornets, yellow-jackets ... these are all terms that have specific entomological meaning, but are lost on Joe Average.

But technically, to answer the OPs question, it would be too hard to tell from the photo (not enough clarity and detail) to tell what insect sub-species that are in the photo. There are literally thousands of distinctly different stinging insects that would resemble what we would colloquially call a "wasp" or a "hornet" in the US alone. According to the video linked below, there are something like 30,000 types of bees/wasps/hornets worldwide. So identifying the flying insects in that photo is gonna be pretty tough from a single photo at distance.

The term "wasp" is an over-arching classification of a type of insects, and "hornets" are a subclass. All hornets are wasps, but not all wasps are hornets. It also doesn't help that the "bald faced hornet" actually isn't a hornet at all, but it is a wasp ... So even the common names of some of these insects are misleading.

Here's a quick viewpoint: https://www.thespruce.com/hornet-vs-wasp-7376280
Search this on YT "What is the Difference Between Bees, Wasps, and Hornets?"
It's a rudimentary look at the topic, but does back up what I am trying to explain.
(technically, there is a slightly profane word in the video, and so by our rules I cannot post the link here; it's pretty benign and safe for even kids to watch ....)


As for killing the insects, I take no stand one way or another. Regarding ground-based nests, I will say that using gasoline, while effective, isn't environmentally sound. It's actually quite easy to use a mix of water and liquid dish soap. Always do this at night, when they are less active and can't see well. Both the dish soap and gasoline kill them by the same means, though by slightly different methodology. Dish soap is a lot cheaper, more safe for the environment, and just as easy to use. Also, all the "methrin" chemical products are effective at killing insects, but at different rates; these come in liquid or powder forms, and need to be handled carefully. These are often the main ingredient in the retail spray can insecticides. (deltamethrin, permethrin, cypermethrin ...).
 
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Watched this guy yesterday (from inside BTW) …

View recent photos.webp
 
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