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Living with Bees and Wasps

A guide to bees and wasps and solving the problems they may cause

Bees and wasps are probably our most familiar insects, visiting our gardens from spring until autumn. Bees perform a vital role because they are responsible for pollinating flowers, enabling us to enjoy apples, tomatoes and even more flowers next year. Wasps are also useful to gardeners and farmers because they eat many types of insect pests. Bees and wasps are disliked by many people because of their ability to sting or form large swarms. This information highlights the great value of bees and wasps, but also shows how you can deal with them in a sensitive way should they become a nuisance.

About bees

The most well-known are the bumble bees. They look almost too big to fly, and their striped, hairy bodies and familiar 'buzz' are an essential part of any garden in summer. There are 25 species of this type of bee in Britain and not all of them are striped! They form fairly small colonies of no more than a few hundred individuals. The colony is headed by the 'queen bee' who lays the eggs, while worker bees collect the pollen and nectar which keeps the colony supplied. They are very important as pollinators for both farmers and gardener. Honey bees are much smaller and less hairy than bumble bees. Over 2,000 beekeepers actually keep colonies of honey bees in London. Honeybees form huge colonies of as many as 20,000 individuals, all the offspring of a single 'queen bee'. As well as producing honey, beeswax can also be obtained from their hives.

About wasps

There are 7 species of wasp which form colonies in the UK, including the 'hornet'. All are easily identified by their distinctive yellow and black stripes which act as a warning that they sting! Queen wasps hibernate during the winter and start looking for a nest site in spring. They then make a nest of paper from chewed up wood fibres and start laying eggs. The wasp larvae are fed on caterpillars, spiders and aphids, which the workers catch for them. Worker wasps also love to eat nectar or anything sugary, such as rotting fruit. A queen wasp can lay as many as 2,000 eggs each day. No wonder wasp colonies can grow to over 20,000 individuals in just a few weeks!

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Solitary bees and wasps

Not all bees and wasps live in colonies. There are over 200 species of solitary bees and wasps in the UK. Solitary bees lay their eggs in cells hidden away in soft sand, soil or mortar, providing each egg with its own food supply. Perhaps the best known solitary bee is the 'leaf-cutter' which is responsible for cutting neat little semi-circles from the leaves and flowers of roses. Solitary wasps lead very similar lives to solitary bees, except that many of them are parasitic, laying their eggs inside the bodies of other insects. The larva then grows inside the living host until it is ready to turn into a wasp. Some solitary wasps are important for controlling many pest species.

Bee and wasp problems

Many bees and wasps build large nests which can be home to over 20,000 insects. Nests can be built in trees, lofts, sheds, nest boxes, compost heaps or any other secluded place. While bees and wasps will defend their nests, they are unlikely to attack you unless you get too close. If possible, it is best to leave their nests well alone. Remember that bumble bees will never attack you if left alone. If you do want to have a bumble bee nest removed, you should only use experts. Fareham Borough Council does not provide this service. Contact your local Beekeepers Association for advice. Pest controllers usually destroy wasp nests as they are difficult to relocate. This service is provided by Fareham Borough Council and there is a fee for this.

Swarms

When the population of the honeybee hive gets too big, the queen flies out of the nest taking a cloud of worker bees with her. The flying swarm can look very frightening, especially if they all land on a nearby tree. This usually only happens for a short while, while other bees scout around looking for a suitable site to build a nest, such as in the hollow of a tree. While a swarm can be very intimidating, there is usually little reason to be afraid. Swarming bees are all gorged with honey and are normally quite passive. Provided you keep well away from the swarm, it is not at all dangerous. If you discover a swarm, call the Beekeepers Association. They will try to arrange for a beekeeper to take the swarm away. Make sure that you demand that the bees are housed and not destroyed. A charge may be made for this service.

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Stingers

Many types of bee and wasp can and will sting. The sting is hidden away inside the body of the insect and is full of venom. Bees and wasps will not normally attack you unless they feel threatened in some way, such as if you get too close to the entrance to the nest or try to obstruct it. Bees can only sting once as their internal organs are destroyed and they quickly die. Wasps can sting many times.

If you are stung by a bee or wasp, you should carefully remove the sting. The best way is to scrape the sting out using the blade of a knife or your fingernail. Be careful not to touch the venom sac. On very rare occasions a sting may set off an allergic reaction in some people. If this should happen, call an ambulance immediately.

Picnic party poopers

In late summer wasps can become a real nuisance if you are enjoying a picnic. Worker wasps are at their highest numbers at this time of year and they adore eating anything sugary. They seem to be particularly attracted to jam and beer! When they start to pester, the worst thing you can do is to wave your arms about and try to scare them away. This seems to attract more wasps and makes it much more likely that they will sting you. The best thing to do is place a plate of jam or glass of beer a short distance away from you. The wasps will quickly discover this and should soon stop pestering you.

Windfalls

Wasps are also attracted by windfall apples or other soft fruit. You can often find scores of wasps in orchards enjoying the sugary leftovers on the ground. If you do go gathering windfall fruit, pick up the fruit very carefully or wear thick gloves, just in case a wasp has got there before you. Otherwise, there is a chance that you might startle the wasp and it will sting you.

Leafcutterbees

Leaf cutter bees are among our most common solitary bees. They are very distinctive because of the bright orange pollen brush on their back legs. They are very important pollinators, but also cut out distinctive semi-circles from the leaves and petals of roses and other plant. After they have cut out the leaf, they roll it on their underside and fly off to their nest. The leaf will then be rolled into a neat package with some food and a single egg laid inside. The nest usually only contains 2-3 eggs and may be found among logs or old tree stumps. While the activities of the leaf-cutter bees can be irritating when they decide to pick on your prize roses, the problem is very short-lived and any attempt to discourage the bees will be ineffective. The benefit they provide is much greater than the damage they do.

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Bee and wasp imitators

Hoverflies look very like bees and wasps from a distance, except that they hover and only have one pair of wings like all other flies. They eat many pest insects and so are very useful in the garden. Once you get to notice the difference between hoverflies and bees and wasps, you will soon realise that they are actually quite different and that there is no need to be alarmed by them.

Encouraging bees and wasps

The benefit that bees and wasps provide the gardener and farmer far outweighs any nuisance they might cause. There is also growing concern that the number of bees is declining due to the spread of disease and changes to the countryside. There is therefore a good argument for taking measures to encourage them.

London Wildlife Trust recommends that we try to live with bees and wasps and only attempt to interfere when they are causing a serious nuisance. They recommend the following actions:

  1. Leave bee and wasp nests well alone. Only move them on when it is unavoidable. Make sure you demand that the bees are relocated. Pest controllers destroy most wasp nests as they are difficult to relocate - be sure this destruction of up to 20,000 animals is really necessary.
  2. Don't swat a wasp. When having a picnic, put some beer or jam out for the wasps a short distance away. They will then leave you alone.
  3. Provide nectar and pollen rich flowers for bees. Plant wild flowers like foxgloves, knapweed or scabious and other plants which flower between early spring and late summer. Look out for the plants which attract bees and plant them.
  4. Leave areas of your garden undisturbed for bees to build a nest. They prefer rough ground, sheltered by trees and shrubs, which faces north-east. Old bird boxes or flower pots can even be used to give them something to build a nest in.
Need some help? / Want to Know More?

Contact the British Beekeepers Association for leaflets and details of your local beekeepers. National Agriculture Centre, Stoneleigh, Warwickshire CV8 2LZ. Tel 024 7669 6679

Fareham Borough Council can also provide contacts of people who will remove bee or wasps nests in unsuitable places.

This information was written by Steve Micklewright and produced by London Wildlife Trust, Harling House, 47-51 Great Suffolk Street London SE1 OBS.

For further information on bees, wasps or other pests please email us or telephone 01329 236100.

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