Have you seen a nest of flying black and yellow insects and wondered, “What kind of bee is that?” Have you seen those pesky colors at the family pool, or on the bleachers at a game? There are over 90,000 species of stinging insects in America alone. So what’s the difference between bees and wasps? How about hornets and yellow jackets? We at Green Pest Management are ready to answer that question for you.
Bees
Most bees are fuzzy, unlike their cousins (Wasps/hornets) which are sleek and have no fuzz. Bees can range in size, like most stinging insects. Bees can be social or solitary. Meaning some live in hives while others have their own nests. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily apoidea and are presently considered a clade called Anthophila. Clades are a certain organism which have evolved from a similar ancestor. There are nearly 20,000 known species of bees in seven recognized biological families. Anthophila is just a fancy way of saying bee.
Honey bees
Honey bees are about 1.6 cm in length, and are some of the smaller bees within the Anthophila community. They are golden yellow with brown stripes over their body. They are covered in fuzz, and are not hostile unless provoked. Honey bees, like many of their cousins, are essential to the production of food. In the United States alone, honey bees pollinate around 15 billion dollars of crops each year. Without them, we would lose 87 of the world’s leading food crops. Things like cocoa, tomatoes, almonds, apples, and many more. Honey bees have stingers, which can only be used once. The reason being, is due to their anatomy. Their intestines are attached to those stingers, and when the stinger is injected, it pulls their organs out. Stingers stay stuck in skin due to the barbs on the end of them. Honey bee stings are lower on the scale, but it still is a rather painful experience. Honey bees inject poison when they sting, using a small poison sack in their stingers. The poison is a mix of melittin, histamine, and other proteins which can cause allergic reactions.
Bumble bees
Bumble bees can get rather large. They can range from .6 to 1 inch in length. Their frame is much bulkier than the honey bee and other stinging insects, and are mostly black, and yellow in the middle. They are also covered with fuzz, but it is much thicker. Bumble bees are more successful at pollinating than the honey bee. Honey bees focus mainly on nectar, and get pollen as well, while bumble bees are working solely towards pollen. Bumble bees pollinate around ⅓ of our food, and work alongside the honey bee. They also pollinate wildflowers, and other decorative plants. Bumble bees sometimes nest in abandoned mouse nests and in bird nests as well. Bumble bees also have stingers, but won’t die after using their stinger. They have smooth stingers, meaning they can sting multiple times. But, much like their cousins, they don’t sting unless threatened. Bumble bees produce a type of venom, which in around 1% of cases can cause allergic reactions.
Wasps and Hornets
Yellow jackets
Yellow jackets fall right in the middle of wasps and Hornets when it comes to size. They are far larger and bulkier than the wasp, but smaller than the hornet. Yellow jackets are bulky and their abdomen doesn’t get smaller. They have very intricate yellow designs on their matte bodies. Yellow jackets are some of the more aggressive stinging insects around. They build nests underground, and even if you aren’t creating issues, they are very aggressive when it comes to territory. There can be around 5000 yellow jackets inside a nest at a time, and will protect it at all costs. Yellow jackets do not pollinate. They scavenge and eat the bugs which come out during the summer, such as grubs and beetles. They also love meat, sweets, and many other foods around during the summer months. Yellow jackets also have smooth stingers, meaning they can sting you as many times as they want. They also produce a venom, which 3% of adults are allergic to. As well as .8% of children.
Wasps
Wasps are some of the smaller insects in this group. Though they can be long, their bodies are far skinnier than the rest of their cousins. Wasp bodies are segmented and slender. When they fly, their legs stretch out and they are long. Wasps also have very intricate details on their glossy bodies, which help other wasps tell them apart. Wasps prefer to build their nests on man made structures like homes, or on lawn furniture. Their nests resemble honey combs, and look like an upside down umbrella. Wasps are very aggressive with just about everything. When they sting you, they send an “alarm” pheromone around, which alerts other wasps to come and help. They can sting multiple times, and do so if they feel threatened. Though wasps aren’t pollinators, they are very important to pollinators. They protect crops and plants from bugs which destroy those plants. Such as aphids, caterpillars, spiders, and many more. Wasps eat other bugs, but will also eat dead animals if available.
Hornets
Hornets are the largest eusocial species in the world. They can get up to two inches long, and their bodies are bulky from their head to their stinger. Their colors are dull, but they still have intricate designs on their bodies. Unlike their close relatives, hornets are not very aggressive. If they are foraging or just hanging out, they aren’t going to sting you because you got too close. They can be territorial over their nests, but they rarely attack if you aren’t doing anything. Hornets prefer trees and bushes as locations for their homes which are gray in color and look like multi layered paper mache. Hornets enjoy tree sap and leaves, but they also hunt flies, bees, and other insects. Surprisingly, Hornets also pollinate. They pollinate fruit trees and flowering plants. Without them, the pollination rate would go down enough to stunt our food supply. Hornets also have a smooth stinger and can sting and inject venom as much as they’d like. The amount they produce is more than any other stinging insect, but it is considered non toxic.
Now as you see different stinging insects around your property you’ll have a bit more knowledge to help you figure out what you are dealing with. At Green Pest Management we never go out of our way to get rid of these insects because we recognize the importance of bees, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, and many other stinging insects to our environment. We only treat them when we are called and they are affecting your home in a negative manner. To find out more about our wasp removal, carpenter bee treatment or any pest control needs give us a call for a free quote. To make sure we service your location check out our service area, by clicking the state you reside in. Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland.
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