Darth Vader Wasp?

Ever since I got my macro lens I've spent a lot more time actually seeing all the little bugs that fly, crawl and hop around our world. One of the things that's surprised me the most is the almost staggering variety of bees. Mostly I think that we think of wasps, bumble bees and maybe honey bees and leave it at that. I suppose that most bees can be slotted into one of these categories, but the actual number of species is bewildering.

Take this one, for example. I have no idea what type of bee it is. Maybe it's not even a bee (or wasp), but it looks like it probably belongs in that general category of bug. Nasty looking little beastie - that's a mighty long stinger coming out from its aft end. And the other end is pretty deadly too, as evidenced by the smaller black bug it's chewing on.

This shot was taken from about 8 inches away. The brown out-of-focus portion in the forground is a dead blackberry vine (for sense of scale).

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