bee i.d.

rober · July 10, 2012, 02:48:26 PM

i got a call to do removal. these critters look similar to honey bees in shape & color but are 1/3 smaller. when they land they hit the ground running. they have invaded a soffett & are coming & going via a gap between the soffett & the brick wall. could these be mason bees? i've searched online & the red mason bee is the closest match that i have found but does not look quite right. they are oblivious to people & pets. i was on a ladder near their entrance & they did not exhibit any aggression at all.

BeeMaster2 · July 10, 2012, 02:55:31 PM

Quote from: rober on July 10, 2012, 02:48:26 PM
i got a call to do removal. these critters look similar to honey bees in shape & color but are 1/3 smaller. when they land they hit the ground running. they have invaded a soffet & are coming & going via a gap between the soffet & the brick wall. could these be mason bees? I've searched online & the red mason bee is the closest match that i have found but does not look quite right. they are oblivious to people & pets. i was on a ladder near their entrance & they did not exhibit any aggression at all.

Do they look just like a bee but smaller? Are they they clustered in large numbers? They may be honey bees, just small. I have small honey bees in my OB hive.
Do you have any pictures?
Jim

AllenF · July 10, 2012, 03:10:14 PM

Pics would be nice.

rober · July 10, 2012, 03:11:55 PM

i'll get some pictures tomorrow. i did a recon last night to see what i would need tool & ladder-wise. i was expecting to find honey bees so did not bring my camera. no clusters. they are just coming & going 1 at a time. i'm pretty sure they are not honey bees. their movements are faster.

iddee · July 10, 2012, 07:01:33 PM

Be fully dressed when you go into them. We had a nest of Yellow Jackets a few years ago in a house. The owner had called an exterminator and he said call a beek. They were honeybees. When I got there, I thought the same until I watched the quick movements. After getting up VERY close to them, I could make out the shape of the YJ, but they were almost black. I had never seen any like them before, and haven't since. I don't know what the difference is, but they are definitely a strange YJ.

PS. That was the day one got up my pant leg to where a woman never has to worry. It hurt for 3 days.

rober · July 10, 2012, 07:14:15 PM

i definitely plan on suiting up when i open this soffett up. they do kinda' sorta look like yellow jackets. buy-they are ( so far ) totally non-aggressive & yellow jackets ususlly burrow into the ground.

BeeMaster2 · July 10, 2012, 07:21:47 PM

Quote from: rober on July 10, 2012, 07:14:15 PM
i definitely plan on suiting up when i open this soffett up. they do kinda' sorta look like yellow jackets. buy-they are ( so far ) totally non-aggressive & yellow jackets ususlly burrow into the ground.

I'm glad you used that key word, usually. Years ago we had a YJ nest in abandoned house that covered a sofa. It was so big that it protected the house from vandals.
Jim

iddee · July 10, 2012, 11:28:06 PM

Maybe usually, but that nest was between the ceiling and second floor.