Honeybees - of which there are around 10 species, according to Naeger - do not tend to die when stinging other insects or spiders, which tends to happen only if the bee thinks its hive is being invaded. (Image credit: Claudio Cavalensi via Getty Images) However, if the bees need to go, call a pest management professional to help you come up with a solution for your bee problem.An extreme close-up of a honey bee (A pis mellifera) covered in pollen. By keeping the trash inaccessible, the bees will steer clear.īumble bees are considered useful pollinators, as they gather food from a variety of wild and cultivated plants. Bees are attracted to sweet, sticky substances and trash often provides that. Cleaning out trash cans regularly and using cans that have a good seal are other easy preventative measures. Wet ground will not allow for the building of stable ground tunnels, and is one of the simplest ways to tell ground-dwelling bee species to move along. Clearing away brush and grass piles, and keeping the ground well-watered are some ways you can do this. Cutting down on available habitat space will keep the bees from calling your space home. If you are concerned about bumble bee stings and have a nest in your yard or near your house, there are a couple of things you can do. Because of this, it is likely that you will not need to worry about the same colony year after year, as bumble bees move to new nesting sites when the queen begins colonizing again. The queen will survive by overwintering, and will begin the process of creating a new colony in the spring. Unlike honey bees, bumble bees do not leave behind a venom sac when they sting, so they may not inject as much venom into the victim.Ī: Bumble bees build a new nest every year. However, a sting can be dangerous if it occurs on the head and neck, or if the individual is allergic to the venom. Q: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I’M STUNG BY A BUMBLE BEE?Ī: A bumble bee sting, some say, is typically less painful than the sting of a wasp or honey bee. Another indicator that a colony may be near is the sight of bees buzzing just above the ground in a concentrated area. Bumble bees may build colonies in the ground itself, in nests abandoned by mice and other small animals or in piles of loose grass clippings. There are, however, several signs you can look for. Q: IF THEY NEST IN THE GROUND, HOW DO I KNOW IF I'M NEAR A HIVE?Ī: Because bumble bees nest in the ground, it is possible to be near a hive without seeing it. Covering sugary substances to prevent the bee from sensing or accessing them, and moving away from the bee itself are often enough to prevent a bee sting. If a bumble bee is buzzing near you, it may be a male carpenter bee or a worker bee attracted to something sugary. Attacks typically occur near the hive, as the bee will defend the hive and its stores of pollen. It is also possible for the stinger to break off, but this does not always result in bee death.Ī: Bumble bees are not as defensive as honey bees, and must be provoked before they will attack. This means that an angry bumble bee can potentially cause more harm than a honey bee because it is able to continue to sting. Because it is a smooth weapon, it can be used multiple times. Q: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A BUMBLE BEE STINGS?Ī: Unlike the honey bee, a bumble bee’s stinger has no barbs.
A queen bee generally only uses her stinger to defend against rival queens. Worker bees are sterile females, and are able to sting because the ovipositor has evolved into a stinger. Bumble bee colonies are organized around a queen bee, who can also sting, drones (male bees) and worker bees. The worker bees and queen bee in a bumble bee colony are capable of stinging. Most bumble bee stings occur when their nest is disturbed.Ī: Yes.
They gather pollen, but they do not produce honey. Male bees do not have stingers.īumble bees, Bombus spp., are ground-nesting bees and have smaller hives than honey bees. The female bees of both social and solitary species are able to sting when threatened. However, only certain bees within a hive or colony are capable of stinging.Įven though they are capable of it, most bees do not sting unless provoked. It is a common misconception that all types of bees sting.
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