Bees, Wasps & Hornets

Western Honey Bee
Honey bees represent only a small fraction of the approximately 20,000 known species of bees. A honey bee that is away from the hive foraging for nectar or pollen will rarely sting, except when stepped on or roughly handled. Honey bees will actively seek out and sting when they perceive the hive to be threatened.

Bumblebee
Bumblebees are social insects that have black and yellow body hairs, often in bands. Some species have orange or red on their bodies, or may be entirely black. Another obvious characteristic is the softness of the hair that covers their body, making them look fuzzy. They are best large, fuzzy bees. Like their relatives, the honey bee, bumblebees feed on nectar and gather pollen to feed their young.

Yellow Jacket
Most of these are black and yellow; some are black and white like the bald-faced hornet. Others may have the abdomen background color of red rather than black. They can be identified by their distinctive markings, their occurrence only in colonies, and a characteristic, rapid, side to side flight pattern prior to landing. All females are capable of stinging. Despite having drawn the loathing of humans, yellow jackets are in fact important predators of pest insects.

Paper Wasp
Paper wasps are 0.7 to 1.0 inch long wasps that gather fibers from dead wood and plant stems, which they mix with saliva, and use to construct water-resistant nests made of gray or brown papery material. Paper wasps are also sometimes called umbrella wasps, due to the distinctive design of their nests. Nests can be found in sheltered areas, such as the eaves of a house, on tree branches, or on the end of an open pipe (for example, on an old clothesline pole). Unlike yellow jackets and hornets, which can be very aggressive, polistine paper wasps will generally only attack if they themselves or their nest are threatened. Since their territoriality can lead to attacks on people, and because their stings are quite painful and can produce a potentially fatal anaphylactic reaction in some individuals, nests in human-inhabited areas may present an unacceptable hazard.

Bald-faced hornet
North American wasps are commonly called the bald-faced hornet (or white-faced hornet or white-tailed hornet). Its well-known features include hanging paper nests and the females' habit of defending themselves with repeated stings

Hornet (European Hornet)
The European hornet, commonly known as the bell hornet in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, is the largest European eusocial wasp. The queen measures 1-2 inches long. Males and workers are smaller. In males the antennae have 13 segments, while in females there are only 12. The male abdomen has seven visible segments, while the female has six. They will sting in response to being stepped on or grabbed. They are also defensive of their hive and can be aggressive around food sources, such as lilac bushes. Care should be taken when encountering these circumstances, as they may sting without warning. The pain from the sting can persist for several days with accompanying swelling.