Originally Posted by
DropBarFan
I'm guessing it was a yellowjacket wasp & not a honeybee. They're very close in appearance. I've been stung by yellowjackets at least a dozen times (incl once while biking) & never by bees nor other wasps. A few years ago a yellowjacket sting caused my forearm to swell up for a couple of days; in my town a local guy was killed after he ran his lawn mower over a yellowjacket nest. Yellowjackets live pretty much everywhere in USA incl Arizona & are much more aggressive than bees. Yellowjacket nests can be very small & nearly impossible to see but those guys will sting whatever comes across their path.
Interesting. I have always thought that a yellowjacket was species of bee, and never realized it was actually a wasp. I don't know what the technical differences are, but I do think that yellowjackets can sting and go on with their day, whereas honeybees get one sting in and are done for, I think. I feel like my recent encounter was with a yellowjacket as well. I never located the entrance to the nest/hive, but I did see several hovering close to the ground. Reading up on how aggressive they can be, I guess I'm lucky to have only gotten one sting, especially since after disturbing them and getting stung, I had to go back and retrieve my tent.
In the past, when stung, I've experience some very noticeable, local swelling. This most recent sting was on my back. It was several days before anyone actually saw the sting site, and at that point there was still a noticeable welt, but really it was only mildly itchy and tender and one of the least annoying bee stings I have experienced.