INFORMATION SHEET 20

Stinging Insect Identification Tips

European Honey Bees:

• Are about one-inch long
• Are reddish brown with black encircling their abdomen
• Have a subtle striped appearance
• Have two sets of wings
• Have short hairs all over their body - even on their eyes
• The females can only sting one time and then dies
• The whole colony can live through the winter
• Build the inside of nest out of beeswax
• Are smaller than the bumble bee
• Eat nectar and pollen and make honey
• Have pollen baskets on their hind legs to carry food
• Do dances to tell other bees how far to fly for food
• Are not native to the U.S.; came from Europe

Africanized Honey Bees:

• Look just like any other kind of honey bee
• Are slightly smaller that the European honey bee, but only an expert can tell them apart
• Defend their hive more rapidly than the European honey bee
• Usually sting in greater numbers
• Are less selective about where they nest
• Swarm more often than European honey bees
• Do not have stronger venom than the European honey bee
• The females can only sting one time and then she dies
• Eat nectar and pollen and make honey
• Have pollen baskets on their hind legs to carry food
• Do dances to tell other bees how far to fly for food
• Are not native to the U.S.; came from Africa

Bumble Bees:

• Are relatively large and robust bodied
• Are yellow-and-black and have soft fine hair
• Have two sets of transparent wings with black veins
• Have pollen baskets on their hind legs to carry food
• Like to build their nest in the ground or in old bird nests
• Amply line their nests with moss and interwoven grass
• Are relatively unaggressive
• The females can sting more than once
• Do not use dances to "communicate " with other bees

• Are large and robust and resemble the bumble bee
• Are totally black in color
• Upper surface of abdomen is bald and shining
• Have powerful jaw muscles and strong mandibles that they use to bore tunnels into dead trees or wooden buildings where they live
• Are solitary insects
• Are not likely to sting unless handled
• Have a surprisingly mild sting

Paper Wasps:

• Have a very thin waist
• Are brightly colored, smooth and somewhat shiny
• Have sharply contrasting black-and-yellow patterns
• Have two sets of dusky-colored wings
• Have narrow cylindrical legs and no pollen baskets
• Mandibles are used for biting and chewing
• Build their nest out of paper made from plant fiber or wood
• Like to position nest in a hollow tree, in the ground, or beneath the eaves of a house
• Are predators and eat insects and spiders
• The females can sting repeatedly

Yellow Jackets:

• Are a type of short, stocky wasp
• Have a cross-banded black-and-yellow abdomen
• The head and thorax are black with yellow spots and bars
• Have a broad abdomen that tapers off conically to a sharp point where the stinger is concealed
• When not in flight, the wings are folded lengthwise down the middle and are held slightly out to the side
• Are quick to attack when disturbed near their nest
• The females can sting repeatedly
• Like to nest in weedy brush areas on the ground or underground in an old animal burrow or crevice