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Bees and Wasps
Bees and Wasps
Differentiating between European Honeybees and European Wasps.

European wasps are meat eaters and also interested in a variety of food, especially sugary food and drinks; they are more likely than European honeybees to show interest in the content of your picnic basket or open can of soft drink - and in your steak.

European honeybees might only show an interest in food containing high concentration of sugar or honey - but not in your steak.

Differentiating between bees and wasps can be difficult for someone who is not familiar with these insects. It is even more difficult when standing in a safe distance from an opening in the wall, watching these little insects flying in and out. Only when they have settled on a flower for example and when looking at them from a close distance it is quite easy to tell the difference.

European wasps are shiny black with bright-yellow stripes and markings, almost hairless, and slim compared with a bee.

European honeybees have fine hair all over their body, and although their colour can differ from black or dark brown to golden with grey or amber bands, they never have bright-yellow markings on their body.

The difference becomes apparent from the photos below:

European Honeybees
3 bees on comb
no bright-yellow markings and with body hair
European Wasp
European Wasp
shiny black with bright-yellow markings

Wasps extermination?
Particularly in residential areas, a nesting colony of wasps can become a nuisance or a safety concern.

  • A wasps nest on or near a school yard might be interesting for the kids but will cause concerns of some parents.
  • A tree needs to be lopped and when the tree is hosting a wasps nest, no tree lopper would attempt to cut down the tree with the wasps in it.
  • A wasps nest in the wall cavity of your house could be exciting in the short term, but intolerable in the long run.

Hence, having a wasps nest removed by extermination is often required.

When you have a wasps nest on your property:
  • Take into consideration to have it destroyed if necessary.
  • Keep children and pets away from the nest.
  • Do not attempt to spray the wasps with fly spray or any other pesticides.
  • Any interference with the nest will only aggravate the wasps and encourage them to sting in defence.
  • Interfering with the nest will make it more difficult for a Pest Controller to deal with the wasps.


Let Extermination be done by a licensed Pest Controller.
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