Many people tend to be afraid of bees. But let’s debunk amyth, bees are not interested instinging you! In fact, according to Becky Griffin, a teacher at the Center for Urban Agriculture at the University of Georgia Extension’s Northwest District and a certified beekeeper in Cherokee County, bees are not interested in people at all but in plants and flowers; So, if you’ve ever been stung, it’s most likely the work of a wasp.
To better understand, let’s learn to distinguish between them!
Western Honeybees (Apis mellifera)
They have a golden-brown coloration with black stripes in the abdomen. One of their characteristics is that if they have worked hard, you will notice the presence of pollen that go to forfeit inside small bags placed on the paws.
Most honey bees live in artificial hives followed by professional beekeepers, but, very rarely, they can also be foundin wild colonies. You may encounter a bee even if you don’t live near an apiary because, to find what they need, they are able to get away from their hive for several miles.
That the bees tings you is rare, if it were to do so, it can only do it once as it’s sting is barbed and attached to the abdomen connected to the digestive system. As a result, the sting remains attached to the victim carrying every thing.
Bees are excellent pollinators for a wide range of plants and important agricultural crops. As mentioned before, they can sting but it is rare that they do,if they approach leave them alone do not try to get rid of them. In case a swarm settles on your property, give them some time, as scout bees are looking for a suitable place for hive construction, in the meantime, contact a professional beekeeper in the area.
Bumblebees (Bombus)
They are larger bees than a honey bee. They have a black body covered with a thick yellow and black down. They can be easily confused with carpenter bees,but beware the latter a reconsiderably larger and with less hair on the abdomen than bumble bees.
Moving very quickly inside the flower, they create a noise from which their name derives.Their movement causes pollen to be transferred from pollen to the hairs on the legs.
These live in colonies inside nests created in the ground, often they are abandoned mammal dens.
Bumblebees are important pollinators of a wide range of wild flowers and important agricultural crops. How bees can sting but only in case you handle them or approach the nest. Avoid killing them, as several species of bumblebees are in decline, remember they are not aggressive bees and tend to form small colonies.
Carpenter bees (Xylocopa)
They are very similar to bumble bees, the main differences being that it is noticeably larger and that it has less hair on the abdomen.
They have a bad reputation, because they make holes, in which they nest, inside the wood, not surprisingly they are also known as wood bees.The presence of sawdust near wood enstructures could be an indicator of their presence.In addition, they also have a reputation for being “robber barons” of the bee world as they chew small flowers that they cannot enter t o “steal” nectar with out providing a natural benefit. Inside the hole they have drilled, the females lay eggs in a precise order.The female eggs first and then the male eggs, in fact, when in spring they emerge from the hole, the males come out first to be ready for mating .
Although many people consider them pests for their reputation, the benefit to pollination outweighs the harm they cause. Only females can sting and only for defense. They, too, are better left alone with out trying to get rid ofthem.
Mason Bees (Osmia)
They are small and fast bees that sport a metallic body with blue, matte green and black colors.
Their name comes from the habit of using mud as a closure of the nest cavity. They are excellent visitors to “bee hotels”.
Like carpenter bees, masons lay female eggs first, at the back of the nest, and then male ones.Then he will collect nectar that he will carry thanks to the hairs present in the lower part of the side of the abdomen, which he will use as a food source for the off spring.
They are pollinators of flowers near their nest, the mason bee of the blue orchard instead, is a pollinator of orchards and nuts in spring flowering. As for carpenter bees, males cannot sting while females can but being much more docile specimens of a bee, they sting in case it is handled or trapped in clothes. Getting rid of it is not necessary.
Leafcutter Bees (Megachile)
They are distinguished by their black color with white fluff covering the chest and bottom of the abdomen, in addition, they have large head swith massive jaws for cutting leaves. A nesting characteristic that allows them to be distinguished from the masons, is precisely that they close the cavity of the nest with pieces of leaf.
These bees are very important pollinators for many wild flowers, fruits, and vegetables. They can sting but only if they are handled, moreover, according to the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, their sting is much less painful than that of a hon eybee.
Blueberry bees (Habropoda laboriosa)
Their size is like that of honeybees, but their appearance could give the impression of a small hornet or a carpenter bee.
They nest in the ground, especially in the presence of blueberry plants. Their body has adapted very well to the bell shape of the blueberry flower. It is no coincidence that they are excellent pollinators for blueberries as well as for other spring plants. Like many solitary bees, she tends to sting if handled,infact there is no need to worry about their presence and get rid of them.
Squash Bees (Peponapis and Xenoglossa)
These bees have a color ranging from black to light brown to orange. On the chest they have a black down with stripes in the part of the abdomen of black, white, or tanned color.
Like blueberry bees, pumpkin bees evolved to pollinate the flowers of plants belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family such as pumpkin, zucchini and melon. Flights are made before dawn until mid-morning and at sunset when the pumpkin and melon flowers will open.
Male specimens’ nest and mate inside the pumpkin flowers while females nestin the ground near the plants. They are not aggressive, infact very rarely a human is stung, so there are few risks related to their presence and few reasons to get rid ofthem.
Sweat Bees
They vary in color from black to metallic blue to green and may have stripes on the abdomen. These bees are very small and even some specimens may not exceed a third the size of a honeybee. In fact, due to their small size they are not easy to see.
Their name comes from the fact that they are attracted to human perspiration.
They are important pollinators for a wide range of flowering plants, only female specimens can sting. Like many bees we have talked about, they are not aggressive and there is no reason to get rid of them.
Hoverflies (Syrphidae)
They are not bees but flies. They could be confused because for protection they try to imitate bees.Two fundamental differences between hoverflies and bees are in the number of wings, bees have four while hoverflies have two, and in the ocular structure, hover flies have compound eyes of larger size and placed on the sides of the head.
They are a large and important group of pollinators even if pollination is often not as efficient as in the case of bees. They cannot sting because they are devoid of sting, moreover, not raising offspring inside nests also act as a tool for integrated pest control such as aphids for this there is no reason to try to get rid of them.
Wasps
Many species of wasp resemble bees, but differ in brighter colors,a very narrow waist, and the presence of very little hair on the body. In addition, during the flight, the legs of the wasps tend to hang. They are much more aggressive and do not provide any pollination service.
Yellow jackets
They are distinguished from bees because they have yellow or white markings, their body is not covered with dense brown hair, and they do not have pollenb askets on their hind legs.
They are carnivorous, so you will find them near vegetable gardens or gardens only if there is a nest nearby. They can show up outdoors while you have a picnic or barbecue because they are looking for any kind of “meat” they can find. They can be dangerous for humans because unlike bees, their sting is spear-shaped and does not remain attached to the victim, therefore, it can sting several times in a row. In addition, the colony will defend the nest aggressively. Their sting is very painful and persistent.
Hornets
They have a thick body and do not have the narrow waist characteristic of wasps. They are often white and black but can also have colors like those of yellow jackets. Their size can exceed that of carpenter bees and are large enough to make the sting visible. They are very dangerous insects, their nests are located high and to defend it, if they feel threatened, they will mobilize the whole group. Killing one can result in the release of pheromones that will attract other hornets with the intention of attacking. These pheromones can also attach to clothing.
Data Source Provider: How to Identify Different Types of Bees (treehugger.com)