Bees

The Bumble bee gets it's name from their large, clumsy appearance and the buzzing sound they make as they fly.

Workers are about 1/4-1+"long.  Queens are about 3/4-1+" long.  Color is black with yellow mariking with an overall fuzzy appearance.  Stinger is relatively smooth, with small barbs.

Bumble bees are social insects which live in nests or colonies.  The adults are workers, which are sterile females, queens, and males which come from unfertilized eggs and usually appear in the late summer.  A mature bumble bee nest may contain 50-400 bees at any given time.

Bumble bees do not usually nest in structures but are a concern because of their abundance around the many flowering plants typical of yards.  Each worker forages independently, and they never exchange food.  Only enough honey and pollen is collected for a few days which helps to discourage nest predation by skunks, foxes, etc.

Bumble bees are beneficial insects because they help with the pollination of flowering plants.  However if a nest is located to close to an occupied area the bumble bee may sting defending its nest.  They can use their stingers over and over, so people who are sensitive to insect venom should use caution around the Bumble bee.

Carpenter bees get their name from their habit of boring into wood to make galleries for rearing the young.

Adult Carpenter bees are 1/2-1" long.  Robust in form.  They resemble the bumble bee, but with the top surface of abdomen largely bare and shining, instead of covered with yellow hairs.  The male has a yellow face, whereas the females face is black.

Carpenter bees are not social insects, they do not live in nests or colonies.  The adults over winter and in the spring, they emerge and feed on nectar.  Mating begins and extends into nest making time.  The females typically bores a circular hole straight into the wood across the wood grain for a distance equal to her body length.  New galleries average 4-6" long but galleries developed and used by several bees may extend up to 10 feet.

Females will nest in a wide range of woods, but prefer weathered and unpainted wood.  Male Carpenter bees tend to be territorial and often become aggressive when humans approach, sometimes hovering a short distance in front of the face or buzzing one's head.  Since males have no stingers these actions are  merely for show.  The female does have a stinger which is rarely used.

Carpenter bees should be controlled if they are nesting in a home structure.  They may cause serious wood damage to the structure and may continue to use the  area as a nesting spot. 

Honey bees get their name from the sweet yellowish to brownish fluid they make from the nectar of flowers and use as food.  Honey bees not only provide honey and wax, but as pollinators are of far greater importance.  They are responsible for a large share of insect stings, although many stings  blamed on "bees" are actually done by yellowjackets. 

Adult workers are 1/2-5/8" long.  Color is usually orange brown to sometimes black with body mostly covered with branched, pale hairs.  Honey bees eyes are also hairy.  A barbed stinger is present.  Queens are slightly larger, about 5/8-3/4" long, with a smooth stinger.  Males are robust about 5/8" long and have no stinger.

Honey bees are social insects and live as colonies in hives, with mature colonies of 20,000-80,000 individuals.  Adults are represented by workers which are infertilized females, a queen or inseminated female, and drones (males) which come from unfertilized eggs.

Honey bees do over winter and emerge in autumn.  Honey bees swarm when the colony size gets too large for the available hive space or the queen begins to wane or fail.  New queens are produced and the old queen leaves with a large number of workers.

Honey bees are not aggressive but they are defensive and will attack only whatever seems to threaten the colony.  Honey bees set up their hive in bee hives, hollow trees, hollow walls, attics, etc., typically some place which is sheltered from the weather.  If the hive is approached, the guard bees can become very defensive.  Worker bees have barbed stingers and when used, the stinger, poison sac, and associated tissue are torn from the body.  If the stinger is not removed immediately, muscle contractions will dive the stinger in deeper and there is greater time for toxin injection.  The stinger also gives off pheromone which attract other bees and induce an alarm and attack behavior.

Solitary ground or cavity nesting bees get their name from the fact that these are solitary and not social bees, and that they usually nest in the ground while some use natural cavities.

Solitary ground or cavity nesting bees are  1/8-3/4 long.  Females usually 1-2mm longer than males of same species.  Color is usually dark, some metallic, some with pale bands.

Solitary bees do not live in colonies, however sometimes large number of these bees will nest close together, particularly in bare-ground areas.  They provision each cell with pollen and nectar.  Both sexes over winter in the nests.

Some members of these species are also called sweet bees because they are attracted to perspiring skin.  Although they are usually just a nuisance, they can give a sharp mild sting especially when being brushed away.

All of these bees visit various flowers for both pollen and nectar.  Some species are important pollinators of agricultural crops.  These are beneficial insects. 

(Insect Information excerpted from the NPCA Field Guide to Structural Pests)