Is It a Honey Bee, a Wasp or a Carpenter Bee?
A quick field guide to what's buzzing around your Florida home, and what each one means.
Honey bees are fuzzy, golden-brown and about half an inch long, and they fly in a steady stream in and out of one hole. Wasps look slick and hairless, pinched in the middle, and usually build a paper nest you can see. Carpenter bees are big, black and shiny on the abdomen and drill perfectly round holes in wood.
Honey Bees
- Fuzzy, golden-brown to amber with darker bands
- About the size of your fingernail
- Nest hidden inside a cavity (wall, roof, tree, box), not out in the open
- Steady traffic in and out of one entrance
- Often carry yellow or orange pollen on their back legs
Honey bees are what we rescue. If you're seeing a line of fuzzy bees going into your wall or soffit, see live bee removal.
Paper Wasps
- Slender, with long legs that dangle in flight
- Reddish-brown or yellow and black
- Open, umbrella-shaped paper nest under eaves, railings and shutters
- Only a few dozen wasps per nest
Paper wasps aren't honey bees and aren't relocated. A pest control company is the right call.
Still not sure what you've got?Call now or text a photo for a quick price.
Yellowjackets and Hornets
- Bright yellow and black, smooth and shiny
- Fast, darting flight
- Nest in the ground, in wall voids or in a papery ball
- Scavenge around trash cans and outdoor food
Yellowjackets can look like honey bees at a glance, but they have no fuzz. They're pest control's territory too.
Carpenter Bees
- Large and robust, often mistaken for bumblebees
- Shiny, mostly hairless black abdomen
- Drill neat, round half-inch holes in fascia, decks and wood trim
- Usually solitary, with sawdust below the hole
Carpenter bees don't build hives with comb and honey. The fix is sealing and protecting the wood.
Why It Matters
Honey bee colonies inside a structure need to be removed along with their comb, or the problem comes back. Wasps and yellowjackets are handled differently. Getting the ID right means calling the right people the first time. And when in doubt, text us a photo at 772-444-8442. We'll tell you what it is even if it's not a job for us.
Quick Questions
We specialize in honey bees. For wasps and yellowjackets, a pest control company is the right call.
No. Africanized honey bees look essentially identical to regular honey bees. Only their behavior tells them apart.
They're around, but less common than in cooler climates. A big black bee drilling wood is usually a carpenter bee.
Yes. Text it to 772-444-8442.