Wasps vs Bees – How to Identify Them Before Arranging Pest Control in Stoke Bardolph
Springtime queens, early summer swarms and the August crowds all look different, and knowing the season helps you work out which insect you are watching.
The calendar as a clue
The time of year tells you a lot about which insects are likely to be around. Bees and wasps follow different rhythms, and a few simple seasonal patterns can help you tell them apart when the insect itself is hard to identify.
This is not a replacement for looking closely, but it adds weight to what you see. Here is how the year tends to run.
Weather has a say too. A cold, wet spring can delay everything by weeks, while a mild one brings queens out early. That is why dates are a rough guide, and why the behaviour of the insects counts for more than the month on the calendar.
If you are unsure what you are looking at, a notebook helps. Jot down the date, the weather and what the insects were doing, and patterns soon emerge.
Early spring
The first big insects on the wing are often queens. A large, furry insect bumbling low over the ground in March or April is usually a bumblebee queen looking for a nest site, and perhaps a drink of nectar from early flowers. Queen wasps appear too, slimmer and glossier, investigating sheds, eaves and holes.
- Large furry bees on early blossom: bumblebee queens feeding.
- Slim, glossy yellow-and-black insects inspecting gaps: possible queen wasps.
- Occasional honeybees on sunny days around the first flowers.
A single queen wasp in the house in spring is common and not necessarily a sign of a nest. Let her out of a window if you can do so calmly.
Late spring and early summer
From late April, depending on the weather, wasp queens begin building. At first you may notice only a few insects around a gap. This is also the main season for honeybee swarms, when part of a hive leaves to find a new home and a cluster hangs temporarily from a branch or fence.
Bumblebee nests are also developing, with a modest number of workers visiting flowers. A hole in the ground with a trickle of big furry bees is probably a bumblebee nest; a gap with a growing stream of slim, glossy insects is more likely wasps.
This is the best time to deal with a wasp nest, because the colony is still small.
Some behaviours are strongly seasonal. A scatter of wasps taking fruit and sweet drinks in autumn is typical, as the colony runs out of grubs to feed and the workers turn to sugar. Many people feel that wasps become pushier in September, when in truth there are simply fewer tasks for them and more interest in your food.
In spring, by contrast, wasps take insects to feed the grubs, which is why they are sometimes seen inspecting plants and walls rather than your plate. If you see wasps carrying small insects, you are probably looking at a nest that is still developing.
Understanding the pattern helps you keep your expectations sensible. A single wasp indoors in April is a different matter from a crowd around the bins in August.
High summer
By July and August a wasp colony can hold thousands of insects. The pace in and out of the nest is busy, and the wasps are far more noticeable in gardens, at picnics and around bins. Bumblebee colonies are at or near their peak and then begin to taper off. Honeybee colonies remain active in the hive or cavity, with workers visiting flowers all day.
- Wasps at drinks and bins in numbers: a nest is likely within foraging distance.
- Honeybees and bumblebees on flowers throughout the day: normal pollinator activity.
- Heavy wasp traffic in and out of a hole: treat as a nest and keep away.
Keep an eye out too for the signs of a nest that is already well established in summer. Wasps flying in a regular line to and from one point, a steady hum in a wall or roof space, and a growing number of wasps at the bins are all clues. The earlier in the season you notice these, the smaller the colony is likely to be.
If you manage a garden for others, such as a communal space or a business, agree who checks it each week and who to report to. A shared habit of looking catches nests early, whatever the month.
None of this needs to take long. A few minutes at the same time each week, from a safe distance, tells you more than a hurried look once the wasps are everywhere.
Autumn
As the weather cools, wasp colonies decline and the nest is abandoned. Stray wasps can still be a nuisance for a while, especially around fallen fruit and sweet drinks. Bumblebee colonies finish, with new queens leaving to hibernate. Honeybee colonies prepare for winter inside their hives or cavities.
If you only start to notice a problem in autumn, you can still ask for help if a nest is active, but keep in mind that the quieter weather will reduce the activity you can see.
Getting help
In Stoke Bardolph and the surrounding area, we treat wasp nests for a fixed £95 each, with £35 for any additional nest on the same property. We confirm the price by phone before we visit and do not begin work until you agree. There is no call-out charge. We work seven days a week and offer same-day service, for domestic and commercial customers. Technicians are trained and the work carries full insurance.
If you believe you have honeybees or bumblebees, please contact a local beekeeper or the relevant bee organisation. We treat wasps only. Ring 0115 937 5117 or use the online booking form on the contact page, and let us know if anyone is allergic to wasp stings.
Wasps on your property in Stoke Bardolph?
Fixed price £95 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.