Bee Identifier

Honey Bees Honeybees live year round, their sizes range from 1½" to ". Honeybee swarms consist of 4,000 to 6,000 bees. An active hive generally has 10,000 to 50,000 bees and 20 to 80 lbs. of honey. Honeybees have barbed stingers, if a bee stings a person or an animal, the bee will lose its stinger and die. The average life span of a honeybee is about 6 weeks in the summer and 4 months in the winter. Bumble Bees Found living in nests of 15 to 100 in cavities in the ground, under sheds, or other random places usually low to the ground. Bumblebees are seasonal, after summer only the queen survives, starting a new colony in the spring. They are known to defend their hive very aggressively and can sting multiple times. Stingless Bees With the decline of honeybees, stingless bee species are more recently being considered as options for pollination. Native stingless honeybees as pollinators are less a type of problem pest to home owners than honeybees. Stingless bees defend themselves by biting; they nest in tree trunks, branches, and ground cavities. Mason Bees Mason bee is a common name for species of bees in the genus Osmia. Osmia are solitary; every female is fertile and makes her own nest, and there are no worker bees for these species. Most mason bees live in holes and are readily attracted to nesting holes; reeds, paper tubes, or drilled blocks of wood. 2 WASPS, HORNETS & YELLOW JACKETS Although most people think of wasps as pests, they benefit mankind and the environment in many ways. They help control arthropod pests (flies, caterpillars, bugs, spiders, etc.) by preying on them. This really does help to cut down on the use of harmful pesticides and is healthier for our environment in the long run. There are generally two types of wasps, solitary and social wasps. Social wasps are the famous stingers of the insect world. We know them as hornets, yellowjackets, and paper wasps. Social wasp species live in large numbers. Wasp nests are abandoned by late autumn; the remaining queens also leave and over-winter until spring. Wasps eat meat and sweets. Wasps can be more hot- tempered than bees, and should be treated with caution. If you're trying to eliminate nuisance wasps attached to your home or near a doorway, it is best done at night or very early in the morning. Yellow Jackets Often mistaken for honeybees, yellow jackets are a bit smaller in size, and are also brighter yellow than honeybees. They are scavengers eating meats and sweets and often found in parks or disrupting parties, picnics or other park events. They have a stinger without barbs and can sting repeatedly without dying. They are very aggressive defenders and are generally found nesting in holes in the ground; though occasionally nest in wall voids and attics. It's generally considered unwise to try to remove a yellow jackets nest yourself. Yellow jackets attached to the house will not survive through winter. However, the queens abandon the nest and will hibernate until early spring, with 95% of them hibernating in attics. If you have yellow jackets in your attic, one thing you can do to discourage them returning next year is to put up some chemical cards labeled for yellow jackets like "hot shot," perhaps one to every 3 studs / bays. Yellow jacks tend to choose either the eave or the foundation of the house, and occasionally where the chimney and the wall meet. Hornets Some hornet species can look similar to yellow jackets, but hornets are larger and thicker. Hornets are slightly less aggressive than yellow jackets and like most wasps; can sting multiple times with a very strong painful sting. Homets build warped ball shaped nests the size of a football or soccer ball in eaves, attics, and building, including bushes, trees. It's generally considered unwise to try to remove a hornets' nest without experience. While most hornet species are yellow and black, there are also white and black hornets. Paper Wasps There are many species of paper wasps in the US. Paper wasps average 3/4" to 1 1/2" long; yellow and black in appearance. Nests are made of grayish brown papery material. Paper wasp nests are relatively small containing 4 to 30 wasps per nest not, to be confused with hornets which build much larger hives and can be similar in size. Paper wasps are often found hanging under the eaves, but can also be found in attics, trees, as well as other structures. Paper wasps attack when aggravated and have a painful sting; they can also sting multiple times and do not loose there stinger. Mud Daubers Sometimes called dirt daubers, the mud dauber species seldom sting and are not protective of their nests. Mud daubers typically attach under all kinds of eaves, porches, and walls; they are commonly identified by their hard mud nests which are abandoned late autumn. Mud daubers have a very compressed alien like look with their skinny needle like waist, they are also called thread waist wasps. Some mud daubers prey on black widow spiders. Potter Wasp Sometimes called mason wasps, potter wasps build "pot" or jug shaped nests. Out of all wasp species, potter wasps have the largest diversity of species, which have been classified into about two hundred groups.