How to Tell the Difference Between Bees and Wasps

Wasps and bees may be best known for disrupting your summer fun, but they are both essential to our ecosystem. While they look similar and share similar habits, they're actually quite different. We're taking a look at how to tell the difference between wasps and bees and what characteristics they share.

The Similarities: 

• Both bees and wasps begin as eggs and go through three additional stages before reaching their adult form. 
• Both have several species. The most common wasps include paper wasps, yellow jackets, and hornets. The most common bees are honeybees and bumblebees.
• Both are found on every continent except Antarctica. 
• Wasp and bumblebee colonies can't survive the winter in cold climates. Only new queen bees can survive the cold. 
• Both wasps and bees have short life cycles. Bees generally live around five to seven weeks, whereas wasps usually live anywhere from 12 to 22 days. 
• Both sting to defend themselves and their colony. 
• Unlike honeybees, wasps and bumblebees can pull out their stinger, so they can sting more than once without hurting themselves. ​​

The Differences:

• Bees are more full-bodied, hairy, and have flatter back legs.
• Bees appear fuzzy. This helps them collect and circulate pollen. 
• Wasps are slim with a narrow waist, have slender legs, and their body looks shiny and smooth. 
• Wasps' back legs hang down when flying, whereas you can't see a bee's back legs during flight. 
• A honeybee's stinger is barbed. After stinging and flying away, the stringer is torn from the bee's abdomen and will remain in a person's skin. 
• Bees eat plant pollens and nectar from flowering plants. 
• Wasps eat other insects like crickets, flies, and caterpillars. When queens stop laying their eggs and their nest declines, usually in late summer or fall, wasps will become more interested in human food. It's not unusual to experience aggressive yellowjackets looking for a sweet drink or carbohydrates.
• Wasps make their nests from a pulp-like secretion they make by chewing wood fibers and mixing it with their saliva.
• ​When it comes to honeybees, most make their nests from wax and often live in tree cavities. Today, many of their nests come from humans in the form of prefabricated hives.
  

Why They're So Important:
Both wasps and bees are incredibly beneficial to nature and humans, and it's important not to kill them. Wasps control many insect populations by eating flies, crickets, caterpillars, and other pests. Without wasps, nature would become overrun with these smaller pests. Just like bees, wasps also pollinate the flowers they visit. 

Chances are you've seen slogans saying "save the bees," and that's because bees are one of the world's most important pollinators for food crops, and unfortunately, they are declining. According to the Planet Bee Foundation, bees produce a third of our food supply. But unfortunately, beekeepers across the United States lost an estimated 45.5% of honey bee colonies from April 2020 to April 2021 alone. 

What to do if You Have an Infestation: 
Even though your first instinct when you see a wasp or bee may be to kill it, it's important to leave them alone. When you contact Pestech of Greenville, we take care of any bee or wasp problem without hurting the colonies. We work with an experienced beekeeper to successfully remove and relocate the bees and wasps instead of killing them. Never attempt to treat or remove a nest on your own, even if you think you know what to do. You can trust us to handle the problem safely and efficiently. 

Call Pestech of Greenville at 252-353-4760 to get started today. Your East Coast exterminating professionals are honored to serve you.