# Flying insect (wasp/fly) id from vague description?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-insect-wasp-fly-id-from-vague-description/546395
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 12, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-insect-wasp-fly-id-from-vague-description/546395 "2010-07-12T14:56:18Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-insect-wasp-fly-id-from-vague-description/546395/1 "2010-07-12T14:56:18Z")

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I’ve seen these all my life, but I’ve never know their proper name:

It’s some kind of biting/sucking fly (I suppose), with yellow and black stripes.

It doesn’t have an obvious sting, but maybe that’s because I always brushed them away when I felt them biting.

Body length similar to your basic house fly, but pretty slender.

Southeastern USA. I couldn’t get one to pose, or I’d have a pic.

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### Author: ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-insect-wasp-fly-id-from-vague-description/546395/2 "2010-07-12T14:58:32Z")

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Possibly what we always referred to as [“sweat bees?”](http://www.co.hunterdon.nj.us/depts/parks/virtualtours/uplands/pic13.htm)

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### Author: ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-insect-wasp-fly-id-from-vague-description/546395/3 "2010-07-12T14:59:28Z")

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That’s actually pretty close. Might not be the exact bug, but it’s close.

Oh, and BTW, thanks (ten years later). I did get two shirts at Boston Beer Works.

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### Author: ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-insect-wasp-fly-id-from-vague-description/546395/4 "2010-07-12T15:36:06Z")

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Do they hover a lot? Might be a [mimic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoverfly) of some sort.