Bees and Wasps in my house!

The bees, wasps, and ants are the only insects that are truly able to "sting" people, and do so by the use of a modified ovipositor, which is normally used for laying eggs. Together with the ants, the bees and wasps are in the order Hymenoptera.

Often people will find they have some of these insects apparently taking up residence in their homes or yards...and often react with fear, although sometimes unnecessarily. Some bees and wasps are far more aggressive than others. If you find you have bees or wasps in your home, the first course of action is to determine exactly what type of stinging insect you have. The most common bees and wasps found in central Illinois are as follows:

photo copyright David L. Green

Bumble bees
Bumble bees are not very aggressive, nest anywhere they can feel protected, and are beneficial pollinators of both crops and wildflowers. These bees live in small colonies of hundreds, and can be quite gentle.
(note their fuzzy abdomen)

Carpenter bees
Carpenter bees are very similar in appearance to bumble bees, but have a smooth abdomen as opposed to the fuzzy abdomen of bumble bees. These bees are solitary, and CANNOT sting. They burrow into wood, and can be a pest in some wood homes.

photo copyright David L. Green

photo courtesy of the Univ.
of Idaho

Bald-faced hornet
These large wasps live in large nests made of mottled gray paper, usually in trees. These wasps are quite aggressive and put a whopper of a sting on you. Tread lightly around these wasps.

Paper wasps (Polistes spp.)
These wasps build smaller nests of paper usually on overhangs of buildings. They are moderately aggressive, but the small colonies are quite easy to handle. Catching these nests early with only one or two wasps on it is best for controling them.

photo courtesy of Univ. of
Nebraska & David Keith

photo copyright Zachary Huang

European Honey Bee
The honey bee is a valuable pollinator and the source of the honey we eat in this country. If you see a honey bee, chances are a beekeeper lives in the area. These bees are not very aggressive, especially alone on flowers. See more about swarms below.

Yellow jacket wasps
These are the nuisance wasps that crawl in your soda can and bother you at picnics. They are fairly aggressive and will sting without much provocation. They build nests underground or, unfortunately, in structures such as your attic or walls.

photo courtesy of Univ. of
Nebraska & Jim Kalisch

For the most part, an encounter with one of these stinging insects, especially if they are alone, will not result in a sting. Here, the old axiom "leave them alone and they will leave you alone" holds largely true. The bees listed above (bumble bees and honey bees) are mostly gentle creatures who sting in defense of their homes. So unless you stumble across a bee hive, you are highly unlikely to get stung. Just let them go about their business. The same goes for the paper wasps. The hornets and especially the yellow jackets can be more persistent and aggressive...and yellow jackets are notorious scavengers for our sweet human foods and drinks. Swatting at them won't help. Keeping your food sealed and limiting their exposure will.

An encounter with an entire colony of these insects can be more of a problem. If you encounter a large nest of wasps, or a hive of bees, walk away carefully and quietly. Once again, if you don't disturb them, you will likely be fine. Should you trigger an attack, then your best bet is to RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN away from the nest. Bees and wasps in general have a defensive zone around their colonies, and if you move out of it, you are likely to be safe. "Playing dead" won't help...run away!

Finally, if you have a nest of these insects in your home or yard, you may need to have them removed. But perhaps you can find a way to live in peace. If not, we strongly recommend a professional exterminator. Stings can be dangerous, especially if you are part of the 1% or so of Americans who may be allergic. Contact your local exterminator if you feel you must take action.

One last note on honey bee swarms. If you see a swarm of exposed honey bees in your tree, but no permanent nest (honeycomb), you are lucky enough to witness a wonderful part of the colony life cycle. Swarming is how honey bee colonies reproduce. These bees are searching for a new home, and are very often not defensive at all. They will take a couple of days to find a new home, and then disappear as suddenly as they arrived. If you see a swarm, you are best off to just leave it alone and let them pass through...they should be gone in a few days. Remember, swarms have no permanent nest structures, just bees. If you see a nest you don't have honey bees - you have wasps. If you see honey comb, the bees have settled down in your tree (unlikely unless it is in a hole in the trunk). You may consider having them removed if this is the case.