CLOSED: Bee or wasp?

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j_b_burrell Cairo, Egypt Jul 08, 2008

Does anyone have any ideas what this is?

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j_b_burrell Cairo, Egypt Jul 08, 2008

Pic 2

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LEO88 Big Rapids, MI(Zone 4b) Jul 08, 2008

Looks like a "yellow jacket" (wasp)... probably a Vespula spp... not that familiar with your area.
http://www.worsleyschool.net/science/files/yellow/jacket.html

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j_b_burrell Cairo, Egypt Jul 08, 2008

Thanks, Leo. Judging from a little research, I think its Vespula germanica which is common in North Africa.

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wallaby1 Lincoln, United Kingdom(Zone 8a) Jul 08, 2008

It doesn't look like Vespula germanica to me, in fact I'm wondering if this is a bee. Notice the mouth parts in the first pic, not at all wasp-like, it has a proboscis or feeding tube which I haven't seen in wasps.

Here's some wasps to compare,

http://www.muenster.org/hornissenschutz/unterscheidung.htm

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wallaby1 Lincoln, United Kingdom(Zone 8a) Jul 09, 2008

Try looking at Family Anthophorinae, Genus Nomada

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LEO88 Big Rapids, MI(Zone 4b) Jul 09, 2008

Nomada... could bee [pun intended]..!!... aren't the Anthophoridae typically smaller bees..??... like 6-10mm..??...hard to tell size from photo. According to this taxonomy site... Nomada are now in their own sub-family..."Nomadinae"
http://sn2000.taxonomy.nl/Parker/1982/Classification/28237.htm

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j_b_burrell Cairo, Egypt Jul 09, 2008

The flower is about 1.75mm across.

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wallaby1 Lincoln, United Kingdom(Zone 8a) Jul 09, 2008

The BWARS (British Wasp & Ant Recording Society) shows Nomada under Anthophorinae, but that was only a suggestion to see the likeness to the insect in question. That could be out of date, or not everyone has caught up with it.

http://www.bwars.com/Gallery.htm

There are some very wasp-like cuckoo bees on pbase, look at Triepeolus sp

http://www.pbase.com/tmurray74/cuckoo_bees_nomadinae

A Nomada sp on Wiki in Spanish looks close, it has cream-colored legs with some dark at the top.

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomadinae

They are under Apidae as the Family, Nomadinae is the Subfamily.



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suunto Sinks Grove, WV Jul 09, 2008

For whatever it's worth, there are some very wasp-like bees in the family Colletidae; see http://www.morphbank.net/images/jpg/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/7/2/3/72315.jpg for an example. If this link does not work, try http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~ecology/insects/Hymen%20Colletidae%20SF%20Hylaeinae%20chinook%20p5&6%20p3%206.14.01%20n30.jpg
(not quite as good an example).

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