wrote:

On Wed, 04 Aug 2010 09:38:27 -0400, Jim Elbrecht
wrote:

On Wed, 04 Aug 2010 00:25:50 -0400, wrote:
-snip-

Those are hornets, not wasps.
That is actually worse. Wasps are not as aggressive.

Hornets *are* wasps. But I don't see any mention of species-- or a
good enough picture to see what they are. Did you?


I suppose you call all of those stinging insects "bees". ;-)

No-- The order of Hymenoptera is made up of Bees, Wasps, and ants.
Hornets are wasps. [no hair, don't eat pollen & have slender waist]

As a general rule bees and hornets live inside the nest. Wasps only
use the nest to lay eggs in and they live outside the nest.

General rule, but not all-- See the Mexican honey wasp nest-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72915472@N00/2824600160/
[that guy has quite a collection]

Some years ago I did do a study on these animals and had a board with
about 2 dozen different varieties of bee/hornet/wasp type insects to
try to clear the air on this.

I assume there are cultural differences and people do blur the line
between them in different places but this is the way I have been
taught.

This is the way I learned it-- though not from CO;
http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4dmg/Pests/whatis.htm

Note that they lump the hornets and yellowjackets in with the social
wasps.

So did you see a species mentioned, or do you know that was a hornets
nest in the UK?

BTW- here's a big nest in New Zealand- identified as a wasp nest.
http://www.angelfire.com/ok3/vespids/intro.html

Jim