Wasps
Wasps (Vespidae), honey bees (Anthophila) and bumble bees (Bombus) are mixed very often eventhough they look and act different.
All of them however sting (Hymenoptera) are considered poisonous (Aculeata) insects. Honey and bumble bee are also classified to nectar (Apidae) section. Thus, they all are poisonous stingy insects, which eat nectar and pollen. They also have a poisonous sting. Wasps use sting for defend itself and cripple its catch. Others mostly use it to defend their nest.
Identification
Wasps (size: 18-25 mm) have clear wings, horizontal stripes in back body and a sting.
Honey bee (size 12-20 mm) mid body is very hairy and its back body contains brown and black horizontal stripes.
Bumble bee(adult size 25 mm) is a very hairy and thick one. Most bumble bees have black hair and yellow stripes. Some of them are however red-brown or light yellow-grey ones.
Nest
Wasp:
Adult female (who survives winter time) builds the nest e.g. to the ground, under the eves or to the attic. Wasps build their home out of chewed-up vegetable fibre, glued together until it resembles a papery stack of recycled carton with a hole at the bottom.
Bumble-bee:
Adult female (who survives winter time) builds the nest e.g. to the cavity on the ground, to the decomposing tree or wall structure. When the nest is finished, it looks like a grey honeycomb.
Honeybee:
In Finland, honeybees tend to live only in the honeycombs structured by humans, who want to make their living e.g. from the honey honeybees produce. However, new wild species of honeybees have recently been located also in Finland.
Pest control of wasps
First, locate the nest (follow their back and forth flying) and then, remove it professionally by using protective clothing.
We try to remove nest mechanically, but sometimes insecticides are required.
Please contact us, when you need pest control help with the wasps!