Bees or Yellowjackets? There is a difference!

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I received a phone call from a neighbor today who was upset about the number of “bees” that were swarming all over her cedar tree. When I went to see the “bees” I discovered that they were not bees but they were yellowjackets, and they were all over her cedar tree foraging for the sweetness in the sap of the tree.

There is a distinct difference between honeybees and yellowjackets. Honeybees are fuzzy and their color is usually orange and brown and much more muted than the yellowjackets. Honeybees make honey, and they are critical for the pollination of 1/3 of the food we eat. They must be protected at every opportunity.

Yellowjackets are shiny yellow and black. They are very slim in comparison to the fuzzy honeybees. Yellowjackets are not bees, they are wasps.  Yellowjackets have little value for pollination; however, they do catch caterpillars to feed their young making them of some use to farmers and gardeners.

My friend was concerned that the yellowjackets would sting her grandchildren and was interested in getting rid of them. Since yellowjackets die out in the winter each year, I have little problem with helping her try to get rid of them. I suggested that she take a milk jug, put a hole in the side, and fill the bottom with detergent water. Then put jam or jelly inside the jug above the water line. The yellowjackets would go into the jug to get the sugar and if they touch the water they would fall into it and drown. Detergent interferes with their ability to breathe.

If you find the yellowjacket nest under the ground it is easy to eliminate them at night by pouring hot detergent water into the hole.

Do not try to kill honeybees. They are critical for our food supply. You have probably seen many of the articles and news casts about them lately as they have been dying off. This could be a serious threat to the global food supply, so we need to do everything we can to protect them.

See also: If bees are visiting your holly bushes you are blessed.

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3 Comments

  • […] So if you should notice there are bees all over your holly bushes, or dandelions, or clover, or …, consider yourself blessed. Somewhere there is a hive of bees still carrying out the task it was created to perform—pollinating the food supply for both wildlife and man. See also:  Bees or Yellowjackets? There is a difference! […]

  • Hello My name is Gloria Smith, and we have hedges or shrubs not sure exactly what they are but they stand about 6 feet or more tall and are full of tiny little white flowers, and 3 different types of bees. We have honey bees, brown wasps, and the large black and yellow furry bumble bees. We are afraid to leave out of our front door during the day. From in side my house at the door you can hear them buzzing and swarming! How can I get rid of them and not kill the giant shrubs?

    Thank you for your help PLEASEZZZZZZZ!!!

    Gloria Smith 08.05.2012
    • Those bees and wasps are happy doing what they are doing. Just because they have stingers doesn’t mean they want to sting anyone. I would not be afraid to walk up to your shrub and put my finger right beside any of the bees or wasps if I moved slowly and calmly, but if I swatted at them I would risk getting stung.

      Keep this in mind when you are around your buzzing bush. The bees and wasps are providing valuable pollination for your shrubs, probably making berries for the birds to eat next fall and winter. Don’t try to get rid of these insects as they are valuable. They will only be on your bushes for about a week or maybe two.

      I’m afraid you can’t have your blooming shrub without the bees and wasps. If you kill the insects you will be breaking the law. You might also be killing someone’s honeybees – which is to the beekeeper the same as killing a cow to a dairy farmer. The bees are his livestock and many neighbors benefit from the bees’ pollination services. If you live near a farm that grows fruits and/or vegetables, the farmer may have paid a lot of money to get those bees to pollinate his crops.

      And if you enjoy eating watermelon, strawberries, apples, squash, cucumbers, and the list goes on and on, you need to be aware that they would not exist without bees to pollinate them.

      I hope you will decide to co-exist peacefully with the bees.

      JaniceDGreen 08.05.2012

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