Capitalizing on the Colors

Ever notice how the coloring of the wool carder bee resembles a yellowjacket and European paper wasp?

Talk about capitalizing on the colors.

Carder bees, so named because they card the fuzz or down from leaves to make their nests, are black and yellow. They buzz around like bees and are approximately the same size.

Carder bees, yellowjackets and paper wasps are all members of the order Hymenoptera, one of the largest orders of insects with some 130,000 described species--and many others undescribed. Also in the order: bees, sawflies and ants.

Some of these relatives you wouldn't want at your picnic.