Summer is here though the weather seems to be as mixed up as those working from home and losing track of what day it is. Longer days, barbecues and playing outside are expected at this time of year, but so is an increase in insects and the buzzing of bees and wasps is common.
Many people have no problems with bees as long as they stay away, but their yellow and black striped wasp cousins are almost universally disliked. Any buzzing insect can be highly irritating if you’re trying to enjoy a picnic or some time outdoors, but how do you tell the difference between a harmless honey bee and a potentially angry wasp?
Many wasp and bee species look very similar, but there are some subtle differences if you know what to look for. With this in mind, see our brief guide below and enjoy the summer sunshine.
German Wasp
The German wasp is a species of stinging wasp, found throughout the United Kingdom and much of Europe. It belongs to the family Vespidae and is most commonly known as the yellowjacket in North America. The German wasp, like other vespids, are social insects that live in colonies.
The German wasp is a small insect with black wings and yellow markings on its abdomen. It has long antennae and a narrow waist between its thorax and abdomen. It can be confused with other wasps such as hornets or honey bees; however, these species have different characteristics that make them easy to distinguish from each other.
German wasps are often considered pests because they build large nests which can become dangerous if disturbed by humans or animals. They also produce an unpleasant smell when their nests are disturbed. In some areas, these insects cause problems for farmers by damaging crops such as berries; however, they also provide benefits to humans including pollinating plants and reducing pest populations through predation on other insects like caterpillars.
Carpenter Bee
Carpenter bees are named for the wood-nesting habit of some species. They may be mistaken for bumblebees, but carpenter bees can be distinguished by their longer bodies and the fact that they do not have pollen baskets. Carpenter bees are large, robust, hairy bees with a bluish-black sheen on their abdomens. They can be identified by two yellow spots on each wing cover near the tip. The males have a black thorax, while females have a black thorax with yellow markings.
Female carpenter bees are larger than males, measuring just over one inch in length. Males are smaller than females and usually have fewer hairs on their bodies. The female’s abdomen is curved at the end so that she can carry pollen with her when she visits flowers. Female carpenter bees use this pollen to feed their young after they hatch from their eggs inside the nest tunnels they dig into wood or other materials such as posts or walls around your home or business premises.
Carpenter bee nests are similar to those of honeybees except that they are not built in hives but instead constructed by individual mated females who burrow into wood after mating with males in flight during spring migration from southern areas of North America (where most species spend winter).
Honey Bee
Honey bees are social insects that live in colonies. A honey bee colony can contain up to 60,000 worker bees, 1 queen bee, and about 2,000 male drones. The worker bees do the work of collecting pollen, nectar and propolis (a sticky resin used to build cells and seal cracks). They also care for the larvae and produce honey and wax.
The queen bee lays all of the eggs in the colony. She is larger than the other bees, with a longer tongue and more ovaries than other worker bees. She mates with several of the drones during her short life (6 weeks in summer, 12 weeks in winter). She begins laying eggs when she is just a few days old and continues until she dies at about 4 months of age.
Honey bees have stingers on their abdomens that they use in defense against predators like bears or birds of prey who might try to eat them for food or destroy their nest so they can take over another nest site.
The stinger is barbed so it remains stuck in its victim after being used by the bee; this causes significant pain as well as inflammation at the site of injury which may result in an infection if not treated promptly. The venom from a single sting can cause severe allergic reactions
Yellow Jacket Wasp
Yellow jacket wasp is a type of wasp that is native to the UK. It is also known as Vespula pensylvanica. This insect belongs to the family Vespidae, which consists of social wasps, hornets and yellow jackets. The yellow jacket wasp can be easily identified by its black and yellow markings.
The yellow jacket wasp is a common pest in the United Kingdom. It is considered one of the most dangerous pests because it stings people multiple times when threatened or disturbed.
Yellow Jacket Wasp Description
The yellow jacket wasp has a body length of about 25 millimeters (1 inch). Its body colour varies from brownish-red to black with yellow stripes across its back and abdomen. Its head is covered with golden-brown hairs; its eyes are dark red; its antennae are long and thin; and its legs are black with some reddish-brown markings on them.
The female yellow jacket wasp has a stinger at the tip of her abdomen while males do not have stingers at all but they can bite humans very hard if provoked – this will result in painful swelling or itching sensation on your skin for hours or days after being bitten by a male
Red Wasp
The red wasp feeds on other insects. It has a long tongue and can catch its prey by flying or hovering above potential prey and then grabbing them. The red wasp is also known as the common wasp, but this name is used for several species of social wasps in the United Kingdom.
The red wasp is a large solitary wasp (not a social one like the European hornet). It has a body length of around 12mm and its wingspan can reach 20mm. The body is black with yellow markings on the abdomen which are sometimes joined to form stripes. The female red wasp builds her nest alone, without help from other colony members. The queen wasp makes the nest it from wood pulp using saliva as glue and lines it with hairs taken from her own body. She lays eggs inside this nest, which hatch into larvae that feed on other insects before pupating into adult red wasps that then emerge from their nests in late summer or autumn.
Paper Wasps
Paper wasps are a type of social wasp, meaning that they live in large groups and cooperate to build nests and raise young. They are found throughout the world, with the exception of Australia, Antarctica, and parts of Asia.
Paper wasps have yellowish-brown bodies with black stripes on their thoraxes (the middle part of their bodies) and abdomens (the rear portion). The ends of their abdomens have a pair of tiny “tails” that are used to hold prey while they sting it. Paper wasps are also known as umbrella ants because when they form their nest, the cells resemble an upside down umbrella.
Paper wasps build nests out of plant fibre woven together into papery tubes that hang from branches or tree trunks. These nests can be extremely long — up to 4 feet in length! Each nest has one or more entrances at ground level, which allows the paper wasps to come and go as they please without having to climb down from their perch. Inside each nest there is a single egg-laying queen surrounded by hundreds or thousands of workers who take care of all her needs until she dies after her first batch of eggs hatches into larvae (immature stages).
Each colony contains only one queen; however.
Hornets
The European hornet is the biggest of the UK’s native hornets and can grow to an impressive 2.5cm long. It has a dark brown body with yellow-tipped antennae. You may also see it with a white, yellow or red tail end, depending on its age.
Hornets are social insects that live in large colonies made up of workers, queens (fertile females) and males. They have powerful jaws and stingers which they use to catch their prey, which includes many species of insects including bees.
Hornet nests are usually found in hollow trees or buildings and are usually composed of a paper-like material which the hornets produce from their salivary glands. The nest can contain hundreds of individuals at any one time and will be guarded by workers which will try to prevent intruders from getting close enough to disturb them.
If you ever find yourself near a hornet nest then you should stay away from it as much as possible as they are very protective of their home and will attack if they feel threatened by someone getting too close to their nest entrance or by people disturbing them while they’re out hunting for food or building new nests.
If you need help managing any of the common pests above, give Eliminate Ltd a call. We offer wasp nest removal throughout the UK and are highly trained to eradicate nests in commercial and domestic properties. If you need effective wasp removal in Preston, give us a call today.