Hummingbird Moth

I am so glad you started this discussion! We have these flowering bushes at work and everyday I have been seeing this odd insect. I thought, at first, it was a bumblebee. I actually started to look for it when I went out. I wanted to take a picture of it but it never lets me close enough. I had no clue what it was until I looked up your Hummingbird Moth and there it was! One of the three kinds listed. I am adding the link and the one I see is the second one down..the yellow and black one. They do look a lot like a bee with a skinny rear. I will have to research further and see if they sting. Not a referral link http://www.birds-n-garden.com/hummingbird_moths.html

I can't tell you. I just recently found out about them myself. I thought I was seeing tiny baby hummingbirds one day but couldn't figure out why they weren't flying around the area where the adult hummingbirds hang out on my property. So, I looked up "baby hummingbirds" and realized that what I had seen were NOT baby hummingbirds and, at the same time, I learned all about these moths. I strongly doubt they bite or sting since I know of no other moths that do that. I hope you get your answer for sure, though, since it's your kids who want to catch them. I hate to see anyone getting stung or bitten but especially kids.

okay - looked them up, they ARE moths and moths can't sting

i can't say anything about the moth because i haven't seen one. what interested me is your ability to grow a garden. it always amazes me because i do not have a green thumb.

I have never seen or dealt with one before but I have heard of people that have and from what I have heard they don't but I am not 100% so please don't quote me. The few people that have them have them as pets and have small children and am pretty sure that if the bit or stung they wouldn't have them.

Mine is trying so hard to come back after our flood. It has some purple though starting to come through!

I saw one once in Arizona and was amazed at the little critter. I did manage to get it to land on my hand so I could get a close look and it didn't bite or sting. I don't think moths have teeth! If you catch one you could rub off the stuff on its wings and kill it. I hope you'll tell your girls not to try to catch one. They are so fragile and beautiful, it's a shame to destroy them accidentally.

No clue.. never even heard of it. But you reminded me that I saw a hummingbird a few weeks ago for the first time ever! It was so cool. It fluttered up into one of our bushes and after that I lost sight of it. I didn't realize how small it was, but it was pretty darn cool to see. Hubby was standing there and he caught a glimse of it too, but the kids didn't, so then they didn't believe me that I'd seen it.