I haven't been able to identify this on r/wasps. We don't have European Hornets here, and regardless the abdomen does not match. It's got an orange head, yellow abdomen, unique patterns. <1" long. This was found in Northern Utah.
2nd post about this. Never seen this wasp before. Orange head with a yellow/black abdomen. Yellowjacket/hornet like body structure. <1” long. Found in northern Utah.
Never seen this one before. Yellow/black abdomen and an orange face. Found it dead in my garage in UT
I've seen two posts like this in the last week so I thought I would chime in for my own experience.
I had some childhood trauma with yellowjackets specifically when I was about 9 months old. I was sliding down the stairs on my deck and was swarmed by yellowjackets and stung many times. I don't remember this at all but it gave birth to my fear. My parents have reminded me of it many times.
It really sucked but slowly got better my whole life until last summer, when I lifeguarded at an outdoor pool, we had a mix of wasps and yellowjackets. I didn't mind the wasps, as they could land on me and just chill. They liked my rescue tube since it was red and would just sit there as I watched the pool. Then yellowjackets came along. They would fly around me, distract me, and it wasn't long before one landed on my calf without me knowing, and I would accidentally hit it and get stung on the webbing of my finger. (this mf was HUGE by the way). He didn't just sting me once, he chased my ass down the lifeguard stand, all the way to the lifeguard office and I walked away with 4 stings. 2 on my arms, one on my ankle, and the other on my hand as said before. (All while there's two girls in the pool watching me panic and run from an insect lmao). I quit my job after this and decided to move to college early. I called off the rest of my shifts.
I moved away to college to Utah, where yellowjackets are absolutely everywhere. Can't even go outside without seeing one inevitably. There's also bald faced hornets, the good ol' wasps I was talking about, and obviously yellowjackets. They're much bigger here than the ones at home and a lot more aggressive. I discovered a ground nest outside my porch and I grew the balls to spray it and kill a few, but I feel as if I didn't do much. I watched from my window as more and more came, and it really hit me just how bad these things are controlling me.
I physically cannot go outside without being on high alert. I have to open my garage door when I am fully in my car so I don't encounter one. I go to the mailbox now when the sun is down so I can minimize the risk of encountering one. I can't walk past one, I can't look at them, I just get a huge anxiety spike about these little tiny insects. Furthermore I look like an absolute dork in front of my friends when I refuse to walk past a yellowjacket. I ask to go the other way, change plans, or just refuse to go anywhere.
I'm a grown ass adult now. I gotta get over this somehow and I don't know how. I tried exposure therapy and that just results in more anxiety. Any advice, at all?
Worked at Target 3 years ago as a FOSA (my rant is still up I think), and I'm in another state at a brand new Target so it's a fresh start for me and everyone else. It's brand brand new, not opened yet.
My account I see got tied to my old Target stuff since it shows old applications I submitted. I believe it's because they needed my SSN or whatever. But I'm concerned that they're going to see my old corrective action report. I got written up for riding the cart pusher (stupid I know I fully acknowledge), and I quit without a two week notice at the old location 3 years ago.
I still got hired and everything seems fine, but I'm concerned there going to see it and act upon it. AKA tell me to go somewhere else. Thoughts?