Not sure if what you are looking at is a wasp or a bee? Typically, wasps have a slender body that appears smooth and shiny. Bees have a rounder body and appear very hairy compared to wasps. Wasps tend to be more aggressive, while bees are more mild mannered. Both wasps and bees will sting, however, while defending their colonies.

The species of honey bee commonly found today in the U.S. is Apis mellifera. There are 24 races of Apis mellifera, all of which have different physical and behavioral characteristics such as body color, wing length, and susceptibility to disease. Generally, worker honey bees are about five-eighths of an inch long and are brown or black with yellow-striped abdomens. Bumble bees are about 1-1/16 of an inch long. Yellowjackets, paper wasps, and mud daubers are colored black and yellow or black and white, and can range in size from about 5/8 of an inch (yellowjacket) to 7/8 of an inch (mud dauber) (References: Bee Identification, Texas A&M University and Africanized Honey Bees on the Move: Lesson Plans, University of Arizona Africanized Honey Bee Education Project).