European Honey Bees (EHBs) –
• European Honey Bees (EHBs) are around one-inch long
• European Honey Bees (EHBs) are reddish brown and have black encircling their belly
• European Honey Bees (EHBs) have a delicate striped appearance
• European Honey Bees (EHBs) have got 2 sets of wings
• European Honey Bees (EHBs) have short hairs all over their body – even on their eyes
• European Honey Bees (EHBs) females are only able to sting once and then dies
• European Honey Bees (EHBs) complete colony is able to live through the winter
• European Honey Bees (EHBs) build the inside of their nest out of beeswax
• European Honey Bees (EHBs) are smaller than the bumble bee
• European Honey Bees (EHBs) consume nectar and pollen and make honey
• European Honey Bees (EHBs) have pollen baskets on their rear legs to carry food
• European Honey Bees (EHBs) do dances to express to other bees just how far to fly to get to the food
• European Honey Bees (EHBs) are not native to the United States; they originated in Europe
African Honey Bees (AHBs) –
• African Honey Bees (AHBs) look just like every other type of honey bee
• Africanized Honey Bees (AHBs) are somewhat smaller that the European Honey Bee (EHB) , although only a specialist will be able to differentiate between them
• African Honey Bees (AHBs) guard their hive much more quickly versus European Honey Bee (EHB)
• African Honey Bees (AHBs) usually sting in higher numbers
• African Honey Bees (AHBs) tend to be less picky about where they nest
• African Honey Bees (AHBs) swarm more often than European Honey Bees (EHBs)
• African Honey Bees (AHBs) do not possess more powerful venom than the European Honey Bee (EHB)
• African Honey Bees (AHBs) females can only sting one time and then she dies
• Africanized Honey Bees (AHBs) consume nectar and pollen and make honey
• African Honey Bees (AHBs) have pollen baskets on their hind legs to carry food
• African Honey Bees (AHBs) do dances to express to other bees how far to fly for food
• Africanized Honey Bees (AHBs) are not native to the U.S.; came from Africa
Bumble Bees –
• Bumble Bees are somewhat large and have got robust bodies
• Bumble Bees are yellow-and-black and have soft fine hair
• Bumble Bees have two sets of transparent wings with black veins
• Bumble Bees have got pollen baskets on their hind legs to transport food
• Bumble Bees prefer to construct their nest in the ground or in old bird nests
• Bumble Bees line their nests with moss as well as interwoven grass
• Bumble Bees are reasonably unaggressive
• Bumble Bees females are able to sting over and over again
• Bumble Bees don’t use dances to communicate with other bees
Carpenter Bees –
• Carpenter Bees are big and robust and resemble the bumble bee
• Carpenter Bees are totally black in color
• Carpenter Bees top surface of belly is bald and shining
• Carpenter Bees have powerful jaw muscles and powerful mandibles that they use to bore tunnels into dead trees or wooden buildings where they live
• Carpenter Bees are solitary insects
• Carpenter Bees aren’t prone to sting unless handled
• Carpenter Bees have a remarkably mild sting
Paper Wasps –
• Paper Wasps have a very thin waist
• Paper Wasps are brightly colored, smooth and fairly shiny
• Paper Wasps have sharply contrasting black-and-yellow patterns
• Paper Wasps have two sets of dusky-colored wings
• Paper Wasps have got narrow cylindrical legs and no pollen baskets
• Paper Wasps mandibles are used for biting and chewing
• Paper Wasps build their nest out of paper constructed from plant fiber or wood
• Paper Wasps like to position their nest in a hollow tree, in the ground, or under the eaves of a house
• Paper Wasps are predators and consume insects and spiders
• Paper Wasps females are able to sting repeatedly
Yellow Jackets –
• Yellow Jackets are a kind of short, stocky wasp
• Yellow Jackets have a cross-banded black-and-yellow abdomen
• Yellow Jackets head and thorax are black with yellow spots and bars
• Yellow Jackets have got a broad belly that tapers off conically to a sharp point where the stinger is concealed
• Yellow Jackets, while not flying, the wings are folded lengthwise down the middle and are held slightly out to the side
• Yellow Jackets are fast to attack any time disturbed near their nest
• Yellow Jackets females are able to sting repeatedly
• Yellow Jackets like to nest in weedy brush areas on the ground or underground in an old animal burrow or crevice