Types of Bees and Wasps
While many people confuse the two, bees and wasps are very different in appearance and nature. To help you identify these pests correctly, we’ve listed the most common types of bees and wasps in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Port Stephens, Maitland and the Hunter Valley.
Bees and wasps can become a major problem for homes and businesses, especially in the springtime. If you see a nest or hive, do not attempt to treat it yourself or you could end up getting stung. Instead, call Rebel Pest Professionals immediately for expert wasp pest control and nest removal!
Honey Bee
Although the honey bees is viewed as a beneficial insect as it is essential for pollination in agriculture, it is not actually a native insect, but was imported from England along with European settlers.
The honey bee has furry dark brown legs and body, with yellowish bands around the body. They are round in shape and worker bees grow to about 1.5cm in length. The queen honey bee grows a lot bigger
Each honey bee colony has one queen bee, which can produce around 2000 eggs per day. The rest are worker bees, who collect food and maintain the colony. Worker bees only live for around 1-10 months, while the queen bee can live for 3-5 years.
In the wild, honey bees build hives in hollow trees or branches. In residential areas, they can be found inside roofs, walls, under floors and on the outside of buildings. Honey bee hives are made from wax and are extremely heavy, resulting in structural damage.
Carpenter Bee
Carpenter bees are the largest native bee species – there are a number of different species. They are not viewed as pests.
Female carpenter bees have a glossy black abdomen and yellow-furred thorax, while the males are covered in yellowish/brown fur all over. They measure around 15-24mm in length.
So-named for their ability to carve into untreated wood to lay eggs. The life stages of egg – larva – pupa – adult takes approximately seven weeks. Carpenter bees will hibernate during winter and mate the following spring, dying shortly afterwards.
While carpenter bees lay their eggs in wood, they do not eat the wood, instead preferring pollen and nectar. Carpenter bees generally don’t create new nests, rather using old nests year after year. The nests can be found in eaves, window trims, fascia boards, siding, decks and outdoor furniture.
European Wasp
Although in Australia we call this invasive paper wasp, the European wasp, there are actually two different species of the “European wasp” – the German wasp (Vesula germanica) and common wasp (Vespula vulgaris).
European wasps have black bodies and bright yellow legs and markings. Worker wasps can grow between 1.2-1.7cm in length, while queens can be much larger.
European wasps mate in Autumn. Whilst the males die shortly afterwards, the queen hiberates over winter. In Spring she emerges to start building a nest. With plentiful food (insects and nectar) the nest can grow rapid and reaches its maximum size in Autumn. In its native Europe the nests will die off in the cold winters. However, in Australia, the nests often survive the winter and can grow year on year into massive nests of over 100,000 wasps.
European wasps typically make their nests in the ground, in well drained banks. However, about 20% of the time they build their nests in buildings, inside roof spaces and under eaves.
Native Paper Wasp
There are a number of different species of Australian native paper wasps, some of which get confused with the European wasp due to their similar coloration.
Native paper wasps come in a range of colours, with the different species having different combinations or black, yellow and reddish brown strips. The black and yellow native paper wasps can be distinguished from the European wasp as they tend to have a more obvious waist and fly with their legs hanging down (European wasps tuck their legs in).
The queen will create the nest and grow the colony from spring through to late autumn. Towards the end of summer she will lay special eggs that will become fertile females and males. They mate and the successful females become queens, overwintering in a sheltered spot before emerging to start a new nest in spring. Sometimes they will use an old nest.
Native paper wasps build nests in sheltered places – the underside of leaves and branches, and under eaves of buildings. Nest can grow up to several hundred individuals.