Wasps vs Bees – How to Identify Them Before Arranging Pest Control in Howe Green

Watch what the insects do for a few minutes: whether they ignore your lunch or hover over it tells you a great deal about wasp or bee.

The lunch-table test

Picture a family eating outside on a warm afternoon. Something yellow and striped keeps circling the jam, the ice lolly and the glass of cider. It lands on the rim, walks about, takes off, and is back in seconds. That persistent interest in your food and drink is classic wasp behaviour.

Bees are rarely interested. Honeybees and bumblebees want nectar and pollen from flowers, so they stay with the border, the lavender and the clover. A bee will not normally pester a barbecue, and it certainly will not go after a sausage.

If the insects show up at the table within moments of food appearing, you have wasps nearby. If they only ever visit the plants, you have bees.

Why they behave so differently

Behaviour comes down to the job each insect is doing. A bee's whole day is built around gathering pollen and nectar for the colony, and it has no use for your plate. A wasp worker has a wider brief: it hunts, scavenges, and brings home whatever the colony needs.

That wider brief makes wasps bolder around people. They are not attacking you; they are looking for food, and your barbecue happens to smell like a good source. It also explains why they come back after being waved away. The colony's demand does not stop.

Bees are not entirely harmless. A bumblebee or honeybee will sting if squeezed, trodden on or trapped in clothing. Look before you put on garden gloves or sit in a chair that has been left outside.

What each insect is actually after and movement and temperament

Wasps are opportunists. In spring and early summer they hunt other insects to feed to their grubs, which is useful, since it keeps the numbers of garden pests down. Later in the season, when the nest is at its busiest, the workers go looking for sugar. That is when they turn up at ice-cream vans, sticky bins and open cans.

Bees feed on flowers. They collect nectar for energy and pollen as protein for the young, and they spend the day moving steadily from bloom to bloom.

This difference explains why wasps feel like a nuisance in late summer. Their natural food supply thins out, and your picnic becomes an easy substitute.

Behaviour in the air gives further clues. Wasps fly in quick, darting lines and can seem restless and a little aggressive when they are near food. Bumblebees travel with a loud, low drone and look heavy and clumsy. Honeybees are steady, purposeful and rather calm.

Temper matters too. Bees are generally placid and will sting only when handled or squashed. Wasps are more easily provoked when their nest is threatened and can sting more than once. A honeybee has a barbed sting and usually dies after using it, whereas a wasp does not lose its sting this way.

Neither group should be swatted. Flapping and swiping tends to turn a curious insect into an angry one. Keep still, move away slowly and cover drinks.

Signs the behaviour points to a nest

One wasp near a drink does not necessarily mean a nest on your property. They can forage over a wide distance. However, several signs together do suggest one close by:

• Wasps arrive within a minute or two of food appearing and keep returning.
• You see them landing on wooden fences or sheds and scraping at the surface, which is how they gather nest material.
• They fly off in one consistent direction.
• You notice small, steady traffic into a hole in the ground or a gap in a wall.

Spotting wasps chewing the wood is a particularly good sign. Bees never do this, so it separates the two quite neatly.

Practical steps when wasps are at your table

Before calling anyone, you can reduce the problem for now:

• Keep food and sweet drinks covered, and check cans and cups before sipping.
• Clear plates promptly and wipe up spills.
• Close bin lids tightly.
• Put fallen fruit in a sealed container.
• Stay calm and walk away rather than waving your arms.

These steps stop wasps being tempted, but they do not remove a nest. Plenty of wasps at your table means a colony is somewhere close, and that colony will keep growing through August.

Watch where individual wasps fly off to. A line of insects leaving in the same direction, and returning along the same path, tells you roughly where the nest is without you needing to go near it.

If the problem is mainly at mealtimes, a little management goes a long way until the nest is dealt with. Move eating areas away from the side of the house where the wasps are entering, and use lidded cups or straws for children. Wasps are attracted to the smell of sweet, fizzy and fermenting drinks, so a cup left on a table for ten minutes can become a landing pad.

Pet food bowls left outdoors are another draw, particularly if they contain meat. Bring them in once your animal has finished.

Getting help

Once you are sure it is wasps and you have found, or roughly located, the nest, call Wasp Nest Removal Essex on 01245 327274 or fill in the booking form on the contact page. A nest is treated for a fixed £90 with one visit guaranteed, and any extra nest at the same property is £35 per nest. Same-day service is available seven days a week for homes and commercial premises, and the work is fully insured.

If the insects turn out to be bees, please contact a local beekeeper or bee organisation instead. In Howe Green or elsewhere, honeybees and bumblebees deserve to be protected.

Frequently asked questions

More wasp advice for Howe Green