Bee and Wasp Identification

Do you have Honey Bees, Wasps or Hornets?

Please review the photos and descriptions below they will help you determine the type of Bee or Wasp you have. We are a Honey Bee Removal service we will remove any Bee or Wasp nest from any structure where they are creating a problem. Please let the technician which know description best fits the bee or wasp that is inhabiting your property.

Yellow Jackets VS HoneyBee

Size: 1/2 inch in size.

Type: Social Wasp

Population: Up to 5,000 members per nest. Nests have multiple layers.

Region: North East to south east regions of US, including Canada.

The Yellow Jacket is on the Left and the Honey Bee on the Right as labled as you can see they are easy to mistake for Honeybees, yellow jackets are brighter shiny yellow apear hairless vs. the orange or dull yellow furry appearance of honeybees. Honeybees may have noticeable yellow sacks of pollen on their back legs, yellow jackets do not. Wasps are scavengers and are often found in parks and are good at disrupting picnics or other events. Yellow jackets are sometimes called meat bees, sweet bees, or ground bees. They are generally found nesting or under eaves, inside equipment or holes in the ground that are about about golf ball to a softball in size. They will defended their home very aggressively. Contrary to the honeybee, yellow jackets can sting repeatedly, do not lose their stinger, and do not die after stinging. In some areas yellow jacket colonies can reach large proportions i.e. 4,000 and 5,000 workers and can create a nest of 10,000 to 15,000 cells by August or early September. But this is very rare in Central N.M. they do however present a danger and should be removed from any areas where humans or livestock dwell. Call a professional to remove wasps. We perform these removals without pesticides or harmefull chemicals.

Hornets.

Size: Up to 2 inches in size

Type: Social Wasp

Population: Up to 700 members per nest.

Region: Hornets are most common in the North East US region, and in Canada.

Hornets and bald faced hornets may look similar to yellow jackets in color, but hornets are perhaps twice as long and thicker. Hornets are slightly less aggressive than yellow jackets and like most wasps, hornets can sting multiple times with a very strong painful sting. Hornets build warped ball shaped nests ranging in size from football to basket ball. They can be found in attics, walls, and attics on the side of a building, in bushes, tree branches or halows. It’s generally considered unwise to try to remove a hornets’ nest without experience. While many hornet species are yellow and black, there are also white and black hornets. Hornets like other wasps abondon the nest by late autumn the queens overwinter and are known return to the same or a nearby location. Hornet nest can be large and they are aggresive if they feel threatened. If you have these you are best advised to seek a professionals to advise.

BumbleBees.

Size: 1” to 1½” inches.

Type: Social Bee

Population: From 10 - 100 members per nest.

Region: Throughout the US & Canada.

Bumblebees number 15 to 100 bees and are found living in nests.

They are close to twice the size of a honeybee. The mid & upper regions of the US and Canada you are likely to see brighter more colorful bumblebees than in the lower portion of the US. Bumblebees may be found in cavities in the ground such as an abandoned gopher holes, under sheds, or in other low to the ground places. Bumble bees are seasonal bees, after summer only queens overwinter to survive, starting a new colony in the spring. They can be known to defend their hive very aggressively and may sting multiple times and don't lose their stinger. It is said that (like many types of bees) the bumblebee species has been declining.

Bumblebees are valuable pollinators and every effort should be made to save them and have them relocated. We save and place them on our farm or at other locations where they will not be disturbured.