It’s warm out and you sit with the windows open, enjoying a fresh breeze of air… until a buzzing threat invades your precious private space. A hornet! A wasp?! A bee?? Should you panic? Swat it? Call pest control?! Beyond the instinctive threat we feel, the ‘danger’ can be just perceived. Maybe a fluffy pollinator at work got lost and needs your help to be guided out. In cases like these, it’s super helpful to be able to tell the difference between these insects (and not for mere trivia). To avoid getting a painful sting, read on.
Physical Characteristics
Let’s get started with the most important—the things you can see with your eyes. That is to say, the distinctive traits of hornets, bees, and wasps.
Wasps
Wasps generally have slender bodies (12-17mm) with narrow waists separating the thorax from the abdomen. Colours vary widely across species but commonly include bright yellow and black patterns. Unlike bees, wasps lack significant body hair.
Hornets
Hornets are a subset of wasps but larger and more robust. They typically measure between 20 to 24mm long and have a distinct black-and-white or black-and-yellow colouration. Their bodies are less hairy compared to bees, with a smoother appearance.
Bees
Bees, if we can summarise their most distinctive trait between all three, is that they’re hairier than both wasps and hornets. They need to carry all the pollen around somehow, right? Honeybees measure around 12mm, while bumblebees can reach up to 18mm in length. They often exhibit brownish or golden hues mixed with black stripes, even though that the colours depend on the species of bee. Please don’t swat bees, the last thing they want is to harm you!
Nesting Habits
Now, if you start noticing not one, but many ‘buzzing threats’, it’s time to start the search. Even though we can’t help you prepare psychologically for finding any type of insect nest on (or in) your property, we can at least help you figure out the difference between the three.
Hornets
Hornet nests are typically large paper-like structures hanging from trees or building eaves. Made from chewed wood fibres mixed with saliva, these nests can house thousands of individuals by late summer.
Example: The European hornet (Vespa crabro) creates aerial nests that resemble oversized footballs suspended high off the ground.
Wasps
Paper wasp (Polistes dominula) nests appear as open comb structures attached to horizontal surfaces like tree branches or under roof eaves. Yellowjackets (Vespula germanica) create subterranean or hidden cavity nests using similar papery materials. The true nightmare is when a wasp colony finds a way in an abandoned shed or room, and does its unholy work undisturbed for years. Their nests can get huge and take an entire room!
Example: Yellowjacket colonies often nest underground in abandoned rodent burrows or within wall cavities of buildings.
Bees
Honey bees, particularly European Honey Bees (Apis mellifera), build waxy hives either naturally within hollow trees and rock crevices or artificially when managed by beekeepers using hive boxes.
Bumblebee colonies utilise abandoned burrows left by small mammals such as mice for their nesting sites.
Example: A honeybee hive consists of hexagonal cells made from beeswax where they store honey and raise brood.
Behaviours
Hopefully, none of them will stick around long enough for you to observe their behaviour, but in the case they do, you should watch out for…
Hornets’ and Wasps’ Defensive Behaviour
Both hornets and various types of social wasps display aggressive defensive behaviours when threatened, hence their dark reputation!
- European Hornet. Known for its potent sting which it uses repeatedly without dying (not you, the hornet); this makes them formidable defenders against perceived threats near their nest.
- Yellowjackets. Highly territorial especially during late summer/early fall; swarming en masse if disturbed leading to multiple stings inflicted upon intruders swiftly due to heightened aggression levels among colony members protecting larvae food sources stored inside hidden nest chambers underground walls and so on!
These insects communicate through pheromones alerting the entire colony of potential danger thus triggering coordinated attacks upon perceived threats instantly ensuring effective deterrence of predators and humans alike safeguarding vital resources contained therein!
Benefits of Pollination by Bees
It’s only fair if we discuss the aggressive behaviour displayed by hornets and wasps, to not overlook the gentle side of their more beneficial insect counterparts—the bees.
- Aggressive Behaviour in Worker Bees. Worker bees may become aggressive upon sensing these chemical signals. They use their stingers as their primary means of defence; however, it’s important to note that this act is fatal for them since they die after stinging due to the barbed nature of their stinger getting lodged into the skin of most mammals. When pulled out along with parts of its abdomen and digestive tract, it leads inevitably to death within minutes or hours.
- Guard Bees. Bee guards stand guard at each hive entrance, keeping a close look out for potential invaders. Nestled deep within, these sentinels protect the neighbourhood, poised and ready to strike at any moment. Combed chambers are sophisticated structures made of waxy hexagonal cells that house valuable larvae, pupae in development, queens, workers, drones, and food reserves. These reserves are essential to long-term survival, ecological balance, and the provision of pollination services for human consumption and enjoyment throughout the larger agricultural landscape.
When to Get Pest Control Services?
Pest control services for hornets, wasps, and bees becomes necessary when these insects pose a direct threat to human safety or property. For example, nests located near high-traffic areas such as homes, schools, or workplaces increases the risk significantly. After all, all animals more or less tend to be territorial. Additionally, since individuals with allergies to insect stings may experience severe reactions that require immediate medical attention; thus, removing nearby nests can be a preventive measure for life-threatening problems.
Structural damage caused by nesting in walls or eaves also warrants professional pest control intervention. While bees play an essential role in pollination and should be relocated rather than exterminated whenever possible, hornets and wasps can be more aggressive and may necessitate removal to ensure public safety, as well as that of your family.
What If There’s a European Hornet Nest on Your Property?
The necessity for pest control with European hornets depends largely on their nesting location and proximity to human activity.
European hornets, unlike some other stinging insects, tend to be less aggressive towards humans unless their nest is threatened. But what does that mean exactly?
Potential Risks:
- Aggression Near Nests. They become highly defensive if someone approaches within a few feet of their nest. You might not even know it’s there!
- Painful Stings. Their sting is painful and potentially dangerous for individuals allergic to insect venom.
There’s also the possibility of European hornets nesting inside your home‘s wall voids. This could lead to accidental encounters that provoke these insects into attacking anyone nearby—a clear indicator that professional pest control intervention would be necessary.
What If There’s a Yellowjackets Nest on Your Property?
Yellowjackets are more likely candidates for requiring professional pest management due to their aggressive nature compared with many other stinging insects. These predatory wasps, similarly to the hornets, often build nests in concealed places such as underground burrows or cavities in walls.
Potential Risks:
- High Aggression Levels. Known for being particularly territorial and quick to sting multiple times when disturbed.
- Health Hazards. Their stings can cause severe reactions in sensitive individuals; even non-allergic people might experience intense pain from multiple stings.
Discovering a yellowjacket nest next to your kids’ outdoor play area presents a major risk because kids playing nearby could unintentionally agitate the wasps, causing them to launch swarming attacks. That, in our opinion, requires professional eradication immediately.
What If There’s a Honey Bee Nest in or Around Your Property?
Honey bees generally require a different approach compared to the more aggressive species like hornets or yellowjackets. Honey bees in the wild form large colonies typically found within tree hollows or man-made structures such as attics. Yet, contrary to popular belief, most bees are solitary bees.
Considerations and Actions:
- Non-Aggressive Nature. Generally docile unless provoked directly through contact attempts against the hive itself rather than just flying about flowers collecting nectar or pollen sources!
- Removal of the Nest. However cute the bees could be, nobody wants a bee nest on their property. Especially if you have kids or maybe someone in your household has a bee sting allergy. You can call a pest control company to safely remove the nest. Unlike the wasp and hornet nests (whose nest we don’t need to be saved by anybody), bees can actually be relocated. Some honey companies would gladly take it and assimilate the new colony into one they already care for.
Final thoughts
In conclusion, recognising hornets, wasps, and bees involves simply paying attention to specific physical characteristics and behaviours. If we could summarise it for your convenience, we’d say that:
- Hornets have bigger bodies and sleek stingers;
- Wasps have slender shapes and narrow waists;
- Bees have hairy bodies that help with gathering pollen.
Knowing what their nests look like and where they nest can also come in handy. As we already said, knowing these distinctions not only deepens our understanding of their functions for mere trivia. It also prepares us to have a safer interaction. At the end of the day, no matter which flying insect causes you trouble, if its nest is located on your property, you have to call in a pest control company.
