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The Wild Pest
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Stinging bugs

Every species in the Wild Files corpus where stinging is a defining trait.

23 on file

On File
An Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) on a leaf, showing the distinctive orange-and-black thorax and large mandibles.
Apex Outlaw
Six Legs86
Alias
Vespa mandarinia

Asian Giant Hornet

Slaughters whole bee colonies in hours. Wears a sting that breaks down flesh.

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On File
A tarantula hawk wasp (Pepsis grossa) on a desert milkweed flower, iridescent blue-black with rust-orange wings.
Outlaw
Six Legs83
Alias
Pepsis grossa

Tarantula Hawk

Hunts tarantulas. Paralyzes them. Lays an egg inside the still-living body.

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On File
A common yellowjacket (Vespula vulgaris), yellow-and-black banded body with transparent wings.
Outlaw
Six Legs75
Alias
Vespula vulgaris

Common Yellowjacket

Stings you. Stings you again. Stings you a third time. Doesn't die.

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On File
A female velvet ant (Dasymutilla occidentalis), fuzzy red-and-black wingless body that resembles a large ant.
Outlaw
Six Legs84
Alias
Dasymutilla occidentalis

Velvet Ant ('Cow Killer')

Not an ant. Wingless wasp. Sting painful enough to be called 'cow killer.' Indestructible armor.

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On File
An eastern cicada killer wasp (Sphecius speciosus), large yellow-and-black body with reddish thorax, transparent wings.
Curious
Six Legs71
Alias
Sphecius speciosus

Eastern Cicada Killer

5 cm wasp. Hunts cicadas. Drags 2× her body weight home. Almost never stings humans.

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On File
A European hornet (Vespa crabro), large brown-and-yellow social wasp with reddish thorax markings.
Outlaw
Six Legs75
Alias
Vespa crabro

European Hornet

Europe's largest social wasp. Hunts at night by lamplight. Less aggressive than her tiny cousins.

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On File
An Asian hornet (Vespa velutina), large dark brown-and-black hornet with single yellow-orange abdominal band and bright yellow legs, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs89
Alias
Vespa velutina

Asian Hornet (Yellow-Legged Hornet)

Major invasive European pest. Hovers at beehives intercepting HONEY BEES — thousands of bees killed daily.

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On File
A potter wasp (Eumenes fraternus) and her urn-shaped mud nest, slender black wasp with bright yellow bands constructing a perfectly symmetrical mud pot the size of a small acorn attached to a twig.
Beneficial
Six Legs78
Alias
Eumenes fraternus

Potter Wasp (Mason Wasp)

Constructs MINIATURE URN-SHAPED MUD POTS — perfect symmetrical pottery vessels for single-caterpillar provisions.

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On File
A European beewolf (Philanthus triangulum), yellow-and-black banded solitary digger wasp resembling a small yellowjacket, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs85
Alias
Philanthus triangulum

European Beewolf

Solitary wasp that EXCLUSIVELY hunts HONEY BEES. Cultivates antibiotic-producing bacteria in antennal glands.

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On File
A great black wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus), large jet-black solitary wasp with smoky blue-black iridescent wings, six legs, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs79
Alias
Sphex pensylvanicus

Great Black Wasp

35 mm jet-black solitary wasp. Paralyzes katydids alive. Famous in philosophy of mind ('Sphexishness').

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On File
A German yellowjacket (Vespula germanica), bright yellow-and-black-banded social wasp with transparent wings, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs78
Alias
Vespula germanica

German Yellowjacket

Most cosmopolitan invasive yellowjacket. NZ has 10x more biomass than native pollinators. 5,000-worker colonies.

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On File
An asp caterpillar (Megalopyge opercularis), oval-shaped pale tan-blonde caterpillar covered in long soft hair-like fur resembling a piece of fur, on a green leaf.
Outlaw
Six Legs85
Alias
Megalopyge opercularis

Asp Caterpillar (Southern Flannel Moth)

Looks like a piece of cotton. Sting reportedly the most painful in North America. Pet your kid.

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On File
An Africanized honey bee (Apis mellifera hybrid), small fuzzy black-and-amber-banded body slightly smaller than European honey bee, transparent wings, six legs.
Apex Outlaw
Six Legs82
Alias
Apis mellifera scutellata × Apis mellifera

Africanized Honey Bee (Killer Bee)

The 'killer bee.' Hybrid escaped Brazil in 1957. 1,000+ human deaths. Pursues victims hundreds of meters.

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On File
An Asian needle ant (Brachyponera chinensis), small dark brown to black ant with elongated body, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs76
Alias
Brachyponera chinensis

Asian Needle Ant

Painful sting comparable to a wasp. Anaphylaxis documented. Displacing native ants in eastern US.

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On File
A European fire ant (Myrmica rubra), small reddish-brown ant with elongated body, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs72
Alias
Myrmica rubra

European Fire Ant

Invasive in Metro Vancouver since 2010s. Sharp burning sting. Excludes native ants from infested soil.

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On File
A Mexican honey wasp (Brachygastra mellifica), small dark brown-and-yellow social wasp with rounded abdomen, six legs, side profile.
Curious
Six Legs89
Alias
Brachygastra mellifica

Mexican Honey Wasp

Wasp that makes honey. Centuries-old delicacy in Mexico. Pollinator AND predator AND honey producer.

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On File
A white-marked tussock moth caterpillar (Orgyia leucostigma), bright yellow body with red head, four white toothbrush-like bristle tufts, and two long black forward-projecting horns.
Outlaw
Six Legs80
Alias
Orgyia leucostigma

White-Marked Tussock Moth

Bright yellow caterpillar with white tufts and black horns. Bristles cause stinging dermatitis. Female is flightless.

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On File
An acacia ant (Pseudomyrmex ferruginea), small reddish-brown ant with elongated body, six legs, on a green acacia leaflet near a swollen thorn entrance.
Beneficial
Six Legs80
Alias
Pseudomyrmex ferruginea

Acacia Ant

Lives inside hollow acacia thorns, drinks Beltian-body sap, attacks anything that touches the tree.

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On File
A bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata), large black-bodied wasp with bright white facial markings and white bands on the abdomen.
Outlaw
Six Legs80
Alias
Dolichovespula maculata

Bald-Faced Hornet

Builds basketball-sized paper nests in trees. Sprays venom at your eyes. Not actually a hornet.

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On File
A male io moth (Automeris io), bright yellow forewings spread to reveal dramatic blue-and-black eyespots on the hindwings.
Curious
Six Legs73
Alias
Automeris io

Io Moth

Hides camouflaged at rest; flashes giant blue eyes at predators. Caterpillar stings like a bee.

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On File
A Mexican red-knee tarantula (Brachypelma hamorii), large black tarantula with bright orange-red knee markings on each leg, eight legs spread evenly.
Curious
Six Legs73
Alias
Brachypelma hamorii

Mexican Red-knee Tarantula

The Indiana Jones tarantula. 30-year lifespan. CITES-protected. Gentle and famous.

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On File
A tarantula hawk wasp (Pepsis grossa), large metallic blue-black body with bright orange wings folded back, six dark legs.
Outlaw
Six Legs87
Alias
Pepsis grossa

Spider Wasp

Hunts tarantulas. Paralyzes them. Drags them home for one egg. Sting rated 4.0 — the worst.

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On File
A metallic green sweat bee (Agapostemon virescens), brilliant iridescent metallic green head and thorax with yellow-and-black banded abdomen.
Beneficial
Six Legs74
Alias
Agapostemon virescens

Metallic Green Sweat Bee

Iridescent metallic green. Drinks human sweat for the salt. Key model for evolution of insect society.

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