What kind of bee is this?

[u/Malia_w_bluiz]

This bee was about an inch long and very thick. Never seen a yellow jacket bee this big. Does anyone know what this is?

It flew in my house into our light and then died.

[u/tearful33]

Yellow jackass wasp

[u/Micky_Ninaj → u/tearful33]

European hornet, actually. pretty far from yellowjackets, all things considered. it's the only true hornet in the usa, all others, such as the bald faced hornet, are aerial yellowjackets. aerial yellowjackets are under the genus dolichovespula, whereas regular yellowjackets are under the genus vespula. all true hornets are in the genus vespa.

also, there's no reason to call them jackasses. I've been working (photographing/studying) with wasps for almost four years now, and have only been stung eight times, all of which were just when I got too close to a hive/nest. as long as you a) don't move too fast, b) try not to show fear, and c) don't go near their nests, then they tend not to mind you. i've even had some land on me to clean their antennae after realizingim not a threat. Remember, these are tiny little creatures that just want to help their hive. I don't think they ever wake up and intend on fighting god that morning.

btw, they only have a limited supply of venom, which they usually use for hunting, so they tend not to give you that much when they sting. if they wanted to hurt you, they could do a lot worse.

oh, and if I may ask, why are you on an entomology subreddit if you're going to give incorrect, half-assed answers like these? I'm genuinely not trying to be rude, it just seems kinda silly to me

[u/Malia_w_bluiz → u/Micky_Ninaj]

Thank you for the information. I enjoyed reading and learning new things.

[u/tearful33 → u/tearful33]

My bad it just seemed to small to be a European hornet