Bees

Honey Bee

Apis mellifera

Honeybees are the familiar golden bees usually seen around and on flowers. They can sting, but they tend not to unless provoked – bees have a barbed stinger, which sticks in the wound and eviscerates the bee after stinging. As everyone knows, bees produce honey in their nests, and as pollinators are extremely beneficial. When nests or wild swarms are noticed, it is best to contact a beekeeper to collect them, rather than killing them.

If a nest must be eliminated, this can be accomplished with many different products and methods, the choice of which would depend on the nest location. If a honeybee nest is treated, it is essential to open up the area after the nest is dead and remove the honey. Otherwise, the honey will run, stain, and rot, creating a smelly mess, as well as a huge attractant for other insects such as ants.

Bumblebees

Bumblebees are the familiar large, fuzzy, black insects with a white or orange tip on the abdomen, frequently seen on and near flowers during spring and summer. They can and do sting if molested, but are not aggressive and rarely sting unprovoked. Bumblebees are pollinators and therefore very beneficial. Their nests should probably be left alone, unless they are in places where they are too close to people (right by the front door or in a children’s play area, for example), or where their noises disturb people trying to sleep (in the attic over the bedroom).

Bumblebee nests are composed of a multicolored waxy substance with vertical sleeping cells in it, spread over a horizontal area of several inches up to a foot. The numbers are fairly small, usually between 50 and 100 bees total. The nests may be found within several inches of an entry area, or up to 6 or 8 feet away. They may be treated with several different products and methods, depending on the nest location.