Originally Posted by Rob_E

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.