Whatever happened to H-bees(non stinging type)did they go extinct?

Question

40 years ago, i would catch bees that had an H on their back with my hands.they didn't sting me! the ones with stripes were the stingers. nobody seems to remember this type of bee!

Answer 1

The reason H-Bees don't sting is because they are flies. Eristalis tenax is a European hover fly introduced into North America and is widspread in both the west and east. They look very much like bees, but are in fact flies, so they don't sting. See the following website for pictures: http://bugguide.net/node/view/7183.