Bug in my bonnet

[JQL]

For reference, in the UK Yellow Jackets are called Wasps. The name Yellow Jacket is unknown.

 

[ARKNT]

Out of caution I typed my boots upside-down and bunch of huge red ants fell out.

Fire ants are ants with an attitude. Like some bees/wasps are worse than others fire ants have a real mean streak.
If you step on one of their mounds they will crawl up your leg, then one of them puts out a signal and they all bike you at once. The bites leave small white blistery spots. They are migrating northward. They hitch rides on railroad cars that sit in fire ant land then the car gets hooked up and pulled to another area for the critters to set up camp. So you northern folk be a bit more cautious near railroad tracks and such.

Arknt

 

[mikesim]

For reference, in the UK Yellow Jackets are called Wasps. The name Yellow Jacket is unknown.

John, we have a multitude of different wasps here in the US. The Yellow Jacket name merely denotes a certain variety. Is there only one variety of wasp in the UK?

Mike

 

[JQL]

John, we have a multitude of different wasps here in the US. The Yellow Jacket name merely denotes a certain variety. Is there only one variety of wasp in the UK?

Mike

Wasps are just wasps in the UK regardless of variety (I'm assuming there are varieties of wasp as I haven't checked).

Having said that, we also have Hornets (which might be classified in the same genus), which are larger and much more fierce. They come in a number of different varieties, some (Asian Hornets) even more terrible than others...

Having now done a little research I was wrong about Yellowjackets, they are actually a type of Hornet.

 

[mikesim]

Your post also prompted me to research wasps and I was astounded to learn how many varieties of wasp there really are. Hornets and Yellow Jackets are the really nasty ones. I have read where the Asian hornet has invaded the western states and they apparently have a real bad attitude.

Mike

 

[RedLdr1]

We have the "murder" or Asian hornet here in Georgia, it isn't just out west. Gotta love having Hartsfield airport importing everything from everywhere and the Savannah port picking up any slack from Hartsfield.

 

[mikesim]

We have the "murder" or Asian hornet here in Georgia, it isn't just out west. Gotta love having Hartsfield airport importing everything from everywhere and the Savannah port picking up any slack from Hartsfield.

Wow! The last I heard/read was that so far (and that was a couple of years ago) the Asian hornet had been confined to Washington state. If it's in GA, there's probably no stopping it now

Mike

 

[karl]

Seems the only constant in life is change.