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Synoeca cf. septentrionalis
Metallic blue wasp with black wings drinking water from a creek. Family Vespidae. It is also called the Northern Carton Wasp, Warrior Wasp or Drumming Wasp. The corrugated brown nest looks like it was made from carton. http://www.americaninsects.net/hy/synoec....
Forested areas of the Miguel Alvarez del Toro Zoo, Tuxtla Gutierrez.
"Synoeca is a genus of eusocial paper wasps found in the Americas. Commonly known as warrior wasps or drumming wasps, these insects are known for aggressive behavior, a threat display consisting of multiple insects guarding a nest beating their wings in a synchronized fashion, and an extremely painful sting. Synoeca is one of only three insect types (the others being the bullet ant and the tarantula hawk) to receive a rating of 4 or higher on insect sting pain indices." Wikipedia.
Thank you bayucca. I went back to my other pictures, they all had the head down in the water and I can't see if it has red mandibles. I didn't know at the time they were such bad stingers!
Vespidae, Polistinae, Epiponini, Synoeca sp. and looks like being Synoeca septentrionalis. Did you remember red "jaws"?
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/823...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29697818@N0...
Quite a bad stinger!
Spotted on Mar 2, 2014
Submitted on Mar 15, 2014
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