Swarms
You have found bees on your property. They may not be honey bees! Below are a list of insects that swarm at a similar time of year.
BUMBLEBEES
These can be found nesting inside bird boxes, in compost heaps, sheds, general waste and behind the soffit/fascia in urban settings. Very common, they are important pollinators. Not aggressive unless the nest is disturbed, they have a yearly lifecycle and the nest will disperse by Autumn.
SIZE: variable. The queens are the largest, the males are smaller and the workers vary in sizes from small to medium.
COLOUR: generally black and yellow with reddish/ginger or white depending on the species.
APPEARANCE: stocky and hairy.
WHAT TO DO: if you can, leave them alone. Relocation is generally not an option, and the nesting location will be empty of bees by Autumn.
Mining Bees
Easily confused with honeybees due to their similar size, mining bees are actually solitary, although you can find a number of them nesting together in the same location. As the name indicates, they nest underground in burrows they dig. Not aggressive and likely to be found nesting where the soil is dry and sandy.
SIZE: small. Approximately the same size as a honeybee or a bit smaller. Males are slightly smaller than females.
COLOUR: distinctive reddish/orange hair all over their body.
APPEARANCE: more hairy than a honeybee and the antennae are much longer.
WHAT TO DO: if possible, leave them alone. Digging up the soil would damage the nest, so relocation is not possible.
WASPS
Most people can identify these quite easily. They build their nests using chewed up wood pulp and making a material similar to cardboard. The nests can be up to a football size and are generally found in protected places like loft spaces, disused sheds, abandoned buildings and sheltered hedges. Very common throughout the UK and have an important role in keeping aphids and other pests under control. In late summer, when the nests are starting to disperse, they develop a taste for all things sweet and become a bit of a nuisance, but they have done an important job earlier in the season,
SIZE: small. A little bit longer than a honeybee but more slender.
COLOUR: distinctive yellow and black pattern.
APPEARANCE: less hairy than a honeybee, slender and almost hairless.
WHAT TO DO: leave them alone if you can, if they are in an inconvenient location, you will need to contact a pest control professional. Do not attempt to remove the nest, there could be a large number of wasps and they might attack to protect the nest.
MASON BEES
This is another one that can be mistaken for a honeybee or for a mining bee due to their similar size. Mason bees are solitary bees, and will normally nest within holes in bricks, wood or cavity wall spaces. They are highly likely to use a ‘bee hotel’ which you might have seen for sale at the garden centres or online. These are made of small tubes (bamboo or other materials) and the bees will build their nests using mud or clay to create a space where they lay their eggs. Very gentle, they make an ideal bee if you have children and want to encourage them to observe and learn from their behaviour.
SIZE: small. Approximately the same size as a honeybee or a bit smaller. Males are smaller than females.
COLOUR: distinctive reddish/blonde hair all over their body.
APPEARANCE: more hairy than a honeybee and with a distinctive hairy ‘face’.
WHAT TO DO: leave them alone. They pose no danger to humans or pets, and will not damage the property.
HONEY BEES
Our favourite insect, they work hard to produce the honey we love. They overwinter as a colony, and can stay living in a location for many years. The colony can vary in size, but generally is somewhere between 15,000 and 60,000 bees! In Spring and Summer they swarm, which is their way to reproduce and form a new colony. See what to look for on the gallery below. Their preference is for spaces with around 20 litres of volume, and generally high up. If there’s a colony living somewhere, there will be a large number of bees coming in and out when the weather is warm.
SIZE: small. Workers are all the same size, drones (male) are slightly larger, but not many of them around so you are unlikely to see one.
COLOUR: varies from dark brown (almost black) to a distinctive stripey with dark yellow/orange.
APPEARANCE: some hairs, mostly on the thorax.
WHAT TO DO: call one of the beekeepers on the list below. They will ask you a few questions and give the correct advice.
Information and images provided by York & District Beekeepers Association.