Ground bees are NOT fire ants (who prove Hell is real and who have a great appetite for my ankles). Yellow jackets? They seem to sting just for kicks.Īnother sad case of mistaken identity. They can sting, but unless ruthlessly provoke, it’s unlikely. Native bees don’t have a well-developed stinger. Poke the nest? Now you and your extended family will be targeted. Just being in their nest area can warrant a sting. But this is a defining characteristic of yellow jackets. In their territory, you’re a source of confusion rather than a target. Yellow jackets usually have only one or two entrances. ![]() Often, there are many (thousands!) of these entrances in a small area. Yellow jackets generally have a larger hole and don’t usually pile up dirt at the entrance. It piles up at the entrance like a tiny ant mound. Ground-dwelling native bees dig out small piles of dirt to form their homes. There may be many dwellings in one area, but they are usually separate families. Most native bees lay only a few eggs in their dwelling. In fact, many of the differentiating features of native bees require a magnifying glass to detect. At first glance (or any glance), they are easily confused with honeybees. Not all native bees are fuzzy, but those who live underground in large groups tend to be fairly fuzzy and kinda cute. I realize it may be hard to tell them apart in the heat of the moment, but there are some notable differences: Native ground bees are NOT yellow jackets that belong to the wasp family. Sadly, bees coming from the ground can be confused for a very different insect. Living underground can give you a bad rap. By comparison, honeybees are our most social bees, living cooperatively with a division of labor in large colonies. Image by NC Cooperative Extension.Ībout 80% of native bees live underground, sometimes alone (like a hut), often alone but in groups (apartments), and sometimes communally (one large family home). Most of our native bees are solitary or socially-flexible bees where all females lay eggs and raise young, compared to honeybee colonies with just one egg-laying queen. Native bees are fascinating and live very different lives than their honeybee cousins.
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