Bee & wasp fungal infection

Question: I saw this wasp at my cabin in St. Louis County on Labor Day weekend.  It appears to be infected with some type of fungus.  I took a short video of it and got a few screen shots.  I also saw a bumblebee that appeared to have the same thing but was not able to get a picture of it.  What type of fungus is this?

responder: An Ask Extension Expert Replied September 03, 2024, 11:15 AM EDT
response: Thank you for your question. It has been assigned to me. I do not believe this is a fungal infection. However before arriving at a definite conclusion, I need two pieces of information from you. 1). Look closely at the wasp (it is an American yellowjacket) in the pictures you sent. Focus upon the location and shape of the white area. This white area is on the dorsal (top) side of the wasp. It covers much of the head and thoracic regions. It does not extend to cover the abdominal area. As you recall from the bumblebee and its white area, was its area like that of the wasp (dorsal side, covering head and thoracic, not covering the abdominal region)? 2). Then please look at the attached picture. Do you recall recently seeing this type of flower at your cabin? Interesting puzzle. Thanks for consulting us. I’ll look forward to you getting back to us.

responder: The Question Asker Replied September 03, 2024, 1:57 PM EDT
response: Yes, the bumblebee had the white part in the same areas, and yes quite a bit of jewlweed blooming in the area.Is the white stuff jewlweed pollen? Thank you  On Tuesday, September 3, 2024 at 10:15:06 AM CDT, Ask Extension wrote:

responder: An Ask Extension Expert Replied September 03, 2024, 3:12 PM EDT
response: (empty)

responder: An Ask Extension Expert Replied September 03, 2024, 5:26 PM EDT
response: Thanks for getting back to us. The mystery is solved. From the beginning, I was suspicious of a fungal infection for three reasons: 1). It would be a bit odd to have both yellow jackets and bumblebees infected by the same fungus at around the same time. 2). If a fungal infection was involved, it would be randomly present over the entire body. To have the white regions in the same areas in both yellow jackets and bumblebees would not be expected. 3). The white area was at the anterior end of the insect. This is the end that first enters the flower. That got me thinking about pollen. Bottom line: The white area is white pollen from Jewelweed. It is one of the few plants possessing white pollen. Both yellowjackets and wasps are attracted to Jewelweed. See the following for more information: https://beeswiki.com/do-wasps-pollinate/ - :~:text=There are some wasps called,the legs as bees do. https://marbleheadconservancy.org/resources/plant-watch/jewelweed/ - :~:text=Jewelweed secretes nectar produced high,rate of new seed formation! https://tillamookbeekeepers.org/page-18154/12859402 - :~:text=So after some research we,but the pollen is white. In the following, scroll down to jewelweed: https://metrobeekeepers.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/PollenColorChart-Sheet1.pdf Thanks for the challenging question. You provided all the key information!!

responder: An Ask Extension Expert Replied September 03, 2024, 5:27 PM EDT
response: Just to finish your question, look at the following: https://jcsbeeblog.blogspot.com/2014/08/jewel-weed-plant-leaving-stripe-on.html Thanks again for consulting with us.