Honey Bees

barbara12

Please be aware that honey bees look a little like wasp, I was in a shop today when the assistant hit one with a paper and killed it.
I have heard quite a few people saying we have had lots of wasp, but at this time of the year they are more likely to be Bees, and the poor things are in decline.

dreamdaisy

There is a difference between the two but it can be hard to tell. Poor honey bee, they are lovely lovely things UNLIKE WASPS. :x I loathe wasps. I will be careful Barbara12, I must admit I keep my windows shut for fear of letting in flies. I cannot stand them either! DD

coco67

i dont mind bees but i loath wasps, it can be hard to tell which is which when there buzzing around you but i tend to let them be when ever i can.

thanks barbara xxx

tkachev

I've just seen my first buzzy creature. It looked like a wasp but I'm sure it is too early in the year for them.

E

barbara12

Must say I am terrified of wasp...I am sure they enjoy stinging people..now Bees are different ...they go about there business pollinating the flowers and Veg..wasp do tend to come out later..

stickywicket

Barbara. Barbara. What have you done? :shock:

I read your post, went to the loo and found it already occupied, by a wasp. But, was it a wasp? Or, was it a honey bee? Mr Google wasn’t a great deal of help so I decided to take no chances.

I squeezed between the loo and the wall to open the window. I removed the bleach from the windowsill and stood it on the cistern. Now I could just manage to touch the key with one finger, turn it and, hopefully, push the handle upwards to release the catch on the window. But I couldn’t push hard enough. I opted to try to bang the handle upwards with the back of my hand. That was when I knocked the bleach into the loo. :roll:

Meanwhile the honey-wasp-bee buzzed away angrily. I squeezed in a bit further. The angle was tighter now but I finally managed to shove the handle up a bit. Then a bit more….and a bit more. The catch was released and another shove opened the window - and nearly sent me diving into the loo after the bleach. The creature at least had the decency to exit immediately.

I backed out, retrieved the bleach, washed it, washed me, went outside to shut the window, went back in to fasten it and breathed a sigh of relief.

That’s when I noticed the bumble bee in the dining room.

barbara12

stickywicket wrote:

Barbara. Barbara. What have you done? :shock:

I read your post, went to the loo and found it already occupied, by a wasp. But, was it a wasp? Or, was it a honey bee? Mr Google wasn’t a great deal of help so I decided to take no chances.

I squeezed between the loo and the wall to open the window. I removed the bleach from the windowsill and stood it on the cistern. Now I could just manage to touch the key with one finger, turn it and, hopefully, push the handle upwards to release the catch on the window. But I couldn’t push hard enough. I opted to try to bang the handle upwards with the back of my hand. That was when I knocked the bleach into the loo. :roll:

Meanwhile the honey-wasp-bee buzzed away angrily. I squeezed in a bit further. The angle was tighter now but I finally managed to shove the handle up a bit. Then a bit more….and a bit more. The catch was released and another shove opened the window - and nearly sent me diving into the loo after the bleach. The creature at least had the decency to exit immediately.

I backed out, retrieved the bleach, washed it, washed me, went outside to shut the window, went back in to fasten it and breathed a sigh of relief.

That’s when I noticed the bumble bee in the dining room.

See what I mean...no need to kill um... OMG I am hiding under the table here in case you come looking for me... :oops: dont forget worker Bees are slim unlike the big bumble Bee..

tjt6768

there are definitely wasps about.. Nasty little swines..
Lots of lovely bumbbellybees too
Sticky, what a carry on lol...

ruby2

So what are the big fat stripy ones that look too heavy to fly?

Very confused now Barbara!

I ended up in hospital once when something stung me (10 days I was there seriously ill).

Not sure if it was a bee or a wasp ..and seeing as it didn't care what I was I may stick with my survival instinct and waft it away :shock:

tonesp

We have a lot of bees here They are usually black very easily distinguished from wasps HOWEVER a little bit of research will show that wasps do have a use They are predators that do kill a lot of garden pests

barbara12

ruby2 wrote:

So what are the big fat stripy ones that look too heavy to fly?

Very confused now Barbara!

I ended up in hospital once when something stung me (10 days I was there seriously ill).

Not sure if it was a bee or a wasp ..and seeing as it didn't care what I was I may stick with my survival instinct and waft it away :shock:

Hi Ruby..the big ones are the bumble Bees, but the worker Bees are smaller and slimmer...so they can be mistaken for wasp....I have only been stung once and that was a wasp...horrible things..but like Tones says they all have there use...nasty little buggers...

lululu

Bet you can tell a good horror story sticky.

I think Bees are yellow and black striped and wasps are more browny, no need to kill any though.

Vinager is good for wasp stings as wasps syings are alkaline.

Bi-carb is good for bee stings as bee stings are acid.

frogmorton

In Florida once my husband was attacked by one of their waspythingys

it was bright orangey yellow and it came AT him :shock: left a huge swelling too.

Masonry bees are thin too aren't they?

Oh dear it's all so confusing

Love

Toni xx

stickywicket

lululu wrote:

Bet you can tell a good horror story sticky.

Thanks but I don't fancy writing my autobiography

dreamdaisy

There are various versions of bees - I found a honey one in the bedroom this morning and managed to persuade it to go out again, but wasps are very easy to tell. Two clearly-defined body segments, slim and 'crunchy' but I am very worried by hornets. :shock: DD

barbara12

DD Hornets are worse than wasp....they are very aggressive when disturbed...mind you so am I....
my youngest son was out camping when they unknowingly pitched there tent near an hornets nest...my son was lucky to get away with 5 stings...but some of the kids spent a day in hospital ...they had so many ...

lindalegs

Hope these pictures help. The trouble is that the wasp and bee are just the family name and there are many variations within that family.

Wasp (usually brighter coloured than a bee)



Bee



Luv,

lindalegs

I've got an insect catcher which doesn't kill them you just trap them and release outside.


Luv,

stickywicket

barbara12 wrote:

DD Hornets are worse than wasp....they are very aggressive when disturbed...mind you so am I....

Barbara I’m shocked :shock: . I’ve seen you in a whole new, scary, light

Webmanager and Legs – thank you. I’m still not sure I’ll manage to distinguish, particularly as I’m pretty sure not all varieties of bee would match your mugshot, Legs, but we have our own insect-catcher - an old sieve and a bit of cardboard permanently to hand in the summer to ease the lot out of our conservatory. Webmanager, I shall ensure that the bit of cardboard now bears the instructions ‘bees - your way: flies - the other’.

barbara12

webmanager wrote:

Hi all
felt I had to reply to this as my hubby is a beekeeper lol. The very black and yellow ones with yellow legs and probably in your house at the moment are queen wasps who have overwintered in your house. The warm weather will bring them out to go and set up a new nest outside. They will not really be a problem then untill August when all wasps gorge on sugar which is why they come into the garden then. Up until then they are useful to gardeners as they eat aphids.
Honey bees are the same kind of shape as a wasp but softer yellow and brown or very dark brown, some of them can be almost black with very little yellow. They are presently working like mad to build up nectar and honey stores for the new bees that the queen is laying. Bees will attack only as a last resort and will always fly towards the light if they are inside. They are in decline and we need them
There are also big bumble bees that look like they shouldn't be able to fly at all and solitary bees who live in little holes and a very smalll indeed.
Anyway thank you for thinking about the bees my hubby will be so happy
Best Wishes

Thanks for that...I do hate to think that people kill Bees..or anything come to that...like you say they work so hard.....must say we went to our local garden centre the other day...and it was full of bumble Bees...it was lovely watching them going from flower to flower...

barbara12

lindalegs wrote:

I've got an insect catcher which doesn't kill them you just trap them and release outside.


Luv,

Thanks legs I think I might treat myself to one of these....urh just thought of something I really dislike...bluebottles ...dirty beggers... :x

dreamdaisy

And don't they squish awful yellow stuff when you get 'em? (Bluebottles, that is, not bees. Never squish bees.) And Sticky, I agree with you - that IS a whole new side to our lovely Barbara! DD

barbara12

dreamdaisy wrote:

And don't they squish awful yellow stuff when you get 'em? (Bluebottles, that is, not bees. Never squish bees.) And Sticky, I agree with you - that IS a whole new side to our lovely Barbara! DD

Just ask my hubby... :oops: :shock:

dreamdaisy

Legs, I do apologise, I forgot my manners. :oops: Thank you for the illustrations, they were most helpful. DD

stickywicket

barbara12 wrote:

dreamdaisy wrote:

And don't they squish awful yellow stuff when you get 'em? (Bluebottles, that is, not bees. Never squish bees.) And Sticky, I agree with you - that IS a whole new side to our lovely Barbara! DD

Just ask my hubby... :oops: :shock:

You even squish your husband :shock: ? Who is this wicked woman impersonating our lovely Barbara?

lululu

Excellent Sticky that is the best laugh for ages and did I read that someone I think it was DD crunches wasps I prefer Walkers