Wasps and bees
Wasp or bee? How to tell them apart
How to tell a wasp from a honey bee or bumblebee in Auckland, and why a honey bee colony should go to a beekeeper rather than being destroyed.
The short answer
Wasps are smooth, shiny and sharply narrowed at the waist, and they nest in enclosed cavities, banks and roof spaces. Honey bees are furry, browner and not narrow-waisted, and they form either a temporary hanging swarm or a comb colony inside a cavity. Wasps are treated. Honey bees should not be: a swarm is collected free by a beekeeper, and a wall colony needs a bee removal specialist who will take out the comb. Wasps are treated, which is what wasp nest removal covers.
The difference between a wasp and a bee
Wasps and bees both belong to the insect order Hymenoptera, which is why they look alike at a glance, but they live differently. A wasp is smooth, shiny and pinched at the waist, hunts other insects and builds a paper nest. A bee is hairy and thick-waisted, feeds on nectar and pollen from flowers and builds with wax. A honey bee stings once and dies, while a wasp can sting again and again.
German and common wasps are the yellow and black insects most people mean by wasp. They are smooth and shiny with very little hair, and the waist between thorax and abdomen is sharply pinched. They can sting repeatedly, and they become noticeably bolder around food and drink in late summer. In the United States the same wasps are known as yellowjackets.
Paper wasps, both the Asian and Australian species, are slimmer with longer legs that trail visibly in flight. They build the small open umbrella-shaped nest you see under eaves and window reveals, with the cells exposed from below. Colonies are much smaller and they are far less aggressive.
Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are furry, browner and more golden, rounder in outline, and they do not have the pinched waist. A honeybee's sting is barbed and stays in the skin with its venom sac, and the bee dies soon after, so they are far less inclined to sting. They will be visibly carrying pollen on their hind legs at certain times.
Bumblebees are large, very furry, loud in flight and extremely placid. They nest in small numbers in compost, under decking and in old rodent burrows, and the colony dies out naturally at the end of the season.
At a glance
Wasp or bee: side by side
| German or common wasp | Paper wasp | Honey bee | Bumblebee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body | Smooth, shiny, almost hairless | Slim, smooth | Furry, rounded | Large, very furry |
| Colour | Bright yellow and black | Brown or black with yellow or orange marks | Golden brown with darker bands | Black with yellow, orange or white bands |
| Waist | Sharply pinched | Long and pinched | Thick, barely visible | Thick |
| Legs in flight | Tucked up | Long legs hanging down | Tucked up, often pollen on the back legs | Tucked up |
| Food | Hunts insects, scavenges meat and sugar | Hunts caterpillars and other insects | Nectar and pollen from flowers | Nectar and pollen from flowers |
| Sting | Can sting repeatedly | Can sting repeatedly | Stings once, then dies | Rarely stings |
| Nest material | Paper, chewed wood fibre | Paper, open cells | Wax comb | Small wax cells |
| Where nests are | Banks, walls, roofs, subfloors, hedges | Hanging under eaves and beams | Hives, wall cavities, a hanging swarm | Compost, under decks, old burrows |
| What to do | Have it treated | Have it treated if it is near a door | Call a beekeeper, never destroy | Usually leave it alone |
Wasps as predators, bees as pollinators
The two insects sit on opposite sides of the garden's food chain. Wasps are predators: the adults take sugar from nectar, honeydew and ripe fruit for energy, but they catch caterpillars, flies, spiders and other insects and chew them up to feed their larvae. Bees are pollinators: worker bees collect nectar and pollen from flowers, and the larvae are raised on pollen and honey, carrying pollen from flower to flower as they go.
In New Zealand that difference has a sharper edge. German and common wasps were accidentally introduced, and in some beech forests they take so much honeydew and so many native insects that the Department of Conservation treats them as a serious conservation pest, while honey bees are kept by beekeepers who are glad to collect a swarm.
Why honey bees should not be exterminated
There is the obvious reason, which is that honey bee populations matter and beekeepers actively want swarms. A swarm hanging in a tree or on a fence is a colony in transit, it is usually docile because the bees are gorged on honey and have no nest to defend, and it will be collected at no charge by someone who is pleased to have it.
There is also a practical reason that people underestimate. A honey bee colony established inside a wall cavity or a roof space may hold several kilograms of comb and honey. If the bees are killed and the comb is left, the honey is no longer being maintained at temperature by the colony. It ferments, it liquefies, and it leaks through the wall lining, staining and damaging it.
The abandoned comb then attracts the greater wax moth, ants, cockroaches and rodents, and the cavity becomes a secondary pest problem that lasts for months. Removing a wall colony properly means opening the cavity and taking out the comb, which is a bee removal specialist's job.
The wasp season in Auckland, and the mistake people make
Vespula nests are founded by a single overwintered queen in spring, grow through summer, and peak in size and aggression between February and May. Almost all stinging incidents happen in that window, and it is when a nest that was invisible in December suddenly becomes obvious.
Most colonies die over winter and the nest is not reused. A minority, Landcare Research puts it at about one German wasp nest in ten, survive the winter and grow very large in their second year, so if you have watched traffic at the same hole across two summers, mention it.
The mistake, and it is a genuinely dangerous one, is blocking the entrance of a cavity nest. Sealing the outside hole does not kill the colony. It forces the wasps to chew an alternative exit, and there is nothing determining that the new exit will be on the outside of the building rather than into a room. Treat first, seal afterwards.
Questions
Wasp and bee questions
Are bees 99% female?
In winter, very nearly. All worker bees are female and so is the queen, and they make up the great majority of a honey bee colony at any time. Male bees, the drones, are raised in late spring and summer, a few hundred in a colony of tens of thousands, and are driven out of the hive before winter. So the exact share depends on the season.
There is a swarm of bees on my fence. What do I do?
Nothing urgent, and do not spray it. A swarm is a colony in transit, it usually moves on within a day or two by itself, and it is generally docile because the bees are full of honey and have no nest to defend. Contact a local beekeeper or a swarm collection service, who will take it free of charge. Keep people and pets at a reasonable distance in the meantime.
Can you get rid of bees in my wall?
We will not destroy them, and it would not solve your problem if we did. A colony in a cavity holds several kilograms of comb and honey, and killing the bees leaves that behind to ferment, liquefy and leak through the lining, attracting other pests for months afterwards. You need a bee removal specialist who will open the cavity and take out the comb. Send us a photo and we will confirm what you have.
How fast can a wasp nest be dealt with?
Usually same day or next morning, particularly if the nest is beside a door, over a path or near where children play. Treatment is applied at the entrance, ideally at dusk when the colony is home, and the nest is normally dead within about twenty-four hours.
Should I block the hole the wasps are using?
Not before treatment, and this is important. A colony that cannot use its entrance will chew a new one, and the direction it chooses is unpredictable, including into the room on the other side of the wall. Treat the nest, wait until activity has fully stopped, then seal.
More advice
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Read thisNot sure what you are dealing with?
Describe it, or send a photograph. Identifying it correctly is our job, and it is what decides the treatment.