Can anyone ID this insect?

[Smart Red]

Off topic but related to getting rid of pests. Would one gulp of bleach water be terribly dangerous? I figure the 5% bleach filled 1/5th (or less) of the bottle while well water wet the top 80%. On the other hand, how could one get sick on well water?

Don't laugh! I just have this friend who knows this friend who has a drinking problem.

Not that anyone would actually drink bleach water, but I'd like to know if I'm good or need to check out the emergency room.

 

[digitS']

Got a very fast repsonse from A & M. It is a Mason Wasp, Euodynerus annulatus. The females are gathering water to build mud entrance tubes to their solitary nests. I've often wondered who built those things out in the short grass prairie. The entomologist had never seen one before, so it must not be too common. But they do eat larvae of certain moths so it sound like a beneficial insect. That's one reason I like to have positive ID's.

This also tells me what ever is living communally in the shed is either a split from my bee hive, or something else... Looks like I'll have to suit up and go in for a look. To be continued...

A mud daubber!

Well, we were misled by the similar appearance to the communal yellow jackets.

Wikipedia has a little on this species but look at the diversity of the

potter wasp genera link

! Steve !

 

[digitS']

Off topic but related to getting rid of pests. Would one gulp of bleach water be terribly dangerous? I figure the 5% bleach filled 1/5th (or less) of the bottle while well water wet the top 80%. On the other hand, how could one get sick on well water?

Don't laugh! I just have this friend who knows this friend who has a drinking problem.

Not that anyone would actually drink bleach water, but I'd like to know if I'm good or need to check out the emergency room.

What?!

Poison control phone call, Red!

My guess is not much good. Guess that it shouldn't be terribly dangerous.

Steve

 

[flowerweaver]

I have some kind of mud daubber that builds linear tube nests on the house. This one builds them in the ground.

@Smart Red 5% of 20% would be very diluted at one sip, but you might call your emergency center to see if you need to worry. It might not be too good for your intestinal flora. If they tell you that you will live, at least take some probiotics.

 

[journey11]

Do you have a local beek association? Maybe someone there would have a vac you could borrow.

If you can positively id them as honey bees, another option might be to set up a trap out. You can find plans and instructions on the web.

They'll be testy this time of year, guarding their winter honey stores.

 

[seedcorn]

Mud daubers in Indiana are all black

 

[digitS']

I invented that name so I can't be held accountable.

Yes, I did that about 300 years ago when I had some spare time. We can see in that link on species, some are scientifically known as Potter Wasps.

Recently, I've noticed that some have hair. So, I've called those Harry Potter. I disremember what I thought about their relationship with bees that prompted me to call some of them Beatrice Potter ...

Here is this individual's range: (link)

You will notice that Euodynerus annulatus is
wisely giving me and Indiana a wide berth ...

Sherman T.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

well, if they are yellow jackets i had a good way to get them contained when i got stung this past Labor day. yeeouch!

i put my shop vac near the area and placed the hose end where they were exiting their home in my wood pile. left it running for about an hour till i noticed they seemed to mostly disappear. then realized about 20 of them decided the inside of the house was where they could get revenge on me sucking up their family members. after squishing and sucking up those in the house i moved the shop vac back outside for about 2 weeks until i figured they were all dead. we did figure out the wood pile on the porch was not their actual home, but a trash bin that had some wood scraps that was beside it. so that has since been moved but the yellow jackets seem to not want to go away even after spraying the bin heavily.

 

[flowerweaver]

@digitS' it shows there have been 4 sightings reported of them in Texas in October, so I guess this is wasp is fairly unusual.

@journey11 Good idea, there is a beekeeping group I have attended a few times about two hours away and know of one man with a bee vacuum but this would be a long trip for him. Bee vacuums cost about the same as a box of bees down here, and probably less than an exterminator. I would really hate to see them killed when the world is losing pollinators daily. And I would fear any toxins could be transmitted to my own hives, and into ourselves. I have cut and framed burr comb before, but never have had to re-queen, so that would be another challenge if the bees turn out to be overly aggressive. And to keep them from returning to the shed they would have to be moved a couple of miles away for a while before they could return to our place.

 

[journey11]

Being TX, you probably have to worry about Africanized honey bees too! They haven't made it up here yet.