Bee vs. Wasp: How to Tell the Difference

When you’re worried about a buzzing insect at your backyard party or a nest built near your children’s playhouse, getting the terminology right isn’t going to be your top priority. We get that! And when you need these insects removed from your property, you can rely on the experts at Cleveland Bee Removal, your go-to bee control service in Cleveland. But in the meantime, we figured we’d create a quick guide so that going forward, you can easily tell the difference between the most common species of bees and wasps you see flying through your outdoor space. The more you know, the better you’ll know how to react and prevent problems. Let’s get into it!

Types Of Bees And Wasps

Let’s start this by saying that there are many, many types of bees and wasps in the country, and roughly a dozen types of wasps and about 500 bee species you could potentially see on your Ohio property. That said, there are some common species within these broad groups that you’re more likely to find hanging around. For wasps, these can include yellow jackets, mud daubers, paper wasps and bald-faced hornets. Commonly seen bees include mason bees, mining bees, leaf cutting bees, sweat bees, bumble bees, carpenter bees, and European honey bees. 

Main Visual Differences Between Bees And Wasps

In general, any member of the wasp family of insects will typically have a slim, smooth body and thin legs when compared to a bee. They will also have a noticeable “waist” where the two larger sections of their bodies (the abdomen and thorax) meet. Bees, on the other hand, are typically fuzzy, with a fuller or more rounded body, thicker legs and more dense hair. That is, unless you’re looking at a tiny, metallic green sweat bee. But something that small probably isn’t what you’re swatting away from your soda or burger. 

European honey bees are a bit more elongated than many of our native bees, but they do have fuzzy heads and thoraxes, like other common bees. That fuzzy coat helps bees to better collect pollen. Both bees and wasps will have compound and simple eyes, six legs, two sets of wings, and two antennae. And on bees and wasps that have varying patterns of yellow and black, the colors will be bolder and more defined on wasps.

Dietary Differences Between Bees And Wasps

If you’re observing bees and wasps on the plants and flowers in your garden, you’ll notice that bees will primarily seek out pollen and nectar from flowers–thery’re herbivores. Wasps, on the other hand, are omnivores, meaning that they eat both plant and animal matter. Wasps will eat pollen and nectar, but they will also hunt and consume caterpillars, grasshoppers and other insects. The pests flying around you at your backyard barbeque are more than likely wasps, which will be just as happy eating your dessert as your burger. Bees may come around to get a sugary snack from soda and other sweet drinks, but wasps are the more likely culprit. 

Life Cycle and Behavioral Differences Between Bees And Wasps

It’s impossible to get into all the bee biology there is to know, and there are many variables in life cycles between all the types of bees and wasps native to Ohio. But one key thing to know is that wasps start fresh in the spring when the overwintering queen emerges and begins the new colony. She will start building a new nest and the young that she lays will eventually hatch out and finish the nest building. This is also the case for social, or communal native bees, like bumble bees. Most wasps also fall into this category. 

On the other hand, many native bee species are what is known as solitary bees, meaning that they do not form a large colony. European honey bees have a unique life cycle in that they generally make it through winter, hidden away in their hives. Individual bees will die but the colony as a whole will typically survive. Social insects like wasps and bees naturally have more to defend and protect than a solitary bee, and this makes them more prone to aggression against what they perceive to be threats to the hive or nest. 

This leads to another key difference between bees and wasps–stinging. Because honey bees have a barbed stinger that lodges in the victim’s flesh, when it comes out of the bee’s body, it fatally wounds them.  honey bees are the only species of bee for which this is true. So because stinging means death for honey bees, they generally only use stinging as a last defense when they are threatened or perceive something to be a threat.

Other bees and wasps that sting can do so multiple times, though they may eventually run out of venom. Those bees and wasps who can sting (not all can, and of those who do, only females sting!) may more easily become aggressive, since the act of stinging is not a sure death for them. So when you are experiencing a buzzing insect that is aggressively attacking you or potentially stinging you, it is most often a wasp of some kind. 

Homes differ as well, with honey bees synthesizing honey to create the wax that they use to construct their hives. Meanwhile, wasps typically forage for materials that they utilize to build their nests, be it wood, mud or something else. Both bees and some wasps or hornets will look for cavities in which they can create their home, but some types of wasps will create standalone structures on the exterior of buildings or on tree branches. Both bees and wasps can also take up residence in our homes, garages and other buildings. Yellow jackets and some native bees nest underground. Unlike honey bees, who will use their home over several seasons, most wasps will typically not reuse old nests.

Expert Bee Control in Cleveland

Whatever flying, buzzing, and stinging insects you have on your property, your local resource for honey bee removal in Cleveland can help. At Cleveland Bee Removal, our experienced team understands the differences in appearance and life cycle between bees, wasps, hornets, and other pests you may see on your Cleveland property. Check out our services that include wasp extermination and safe bee removal and get in touch with us to schedule an on-site consultation to address your pest issue