Bees–Wasps –What’s all the Buzz?

Many creatures (seen and unseen) call Southern Idaho backyards home. For many of us, our introduction to flying yellow and black insects was an unwelcome and painful sting. Through experience and education, we know that some of these flying creatures are more friendly and less aggressive than others. 

Identifying the subtle differences between each species is not always intuitive–but important. It’s not as simple as identifying good vs. bad or friend vs. foe. Understanding each species can help us manage a safe and healthy backyard ecosystem. 

Bees – While there are 25,000 different species of bees, SW Idaho is home to more than 400 native bee species as well as some introduced species, such as the European honeybee and the alfalfa leaf cutting bee.  While it may be obvious, only honeybees (not native to Idaho) generate honey. The most common bees are worker bees who collect pollen to feed the queen and support the hive.  Bees also perform the important job of pollinating our gardens and fruit trees.  While generally less aggressive than wasps, bees can and will sting. 

Wasps – While known by many other names (hornets, bald faced hornets, yellow jackets, etc.) all are technically wasps. There are 30,000 wasp species. They can be recognized by their pointed lower abdomen (not furry), narrow waist, and shiny, slender cylindrical shaped legs. All wasps hunt food and build nests. Adult wasps cannot eat solid food. They return solid food (other insects, meat, fruits, etc.) to the nest to nourish carnivorous larva. The larvae digest the solid food and emit a sugary waste substance which is a primary food source for adult wasps.

There are two general wasp classifications, social and solitary.  Social wasps work together to build nests. This process begins from scratch each spring; they never return to the old nest. Adult wasps harvest decaying wood material. This wood material, once mixed with saliva, produces a paper-like substance used to construct intricate and often very large nests. Wasps build nests in voids found in homes (attics, walls, trees, bird houses), fences and sometimes in underground vacated animal dens.

Unlike bees and social wasps, solitary wasps do not participate in a social system. Solitary wasps excavate underground tunnels or build mud nests.

Wasps propagate in spring and early summer. As the worker wasps’ life cycle comes to a close in late summer, their hunt for food is their only purpose and they become very aggressive. While wasps are veracious hunters of pest insects, which is a valuable service; their venomous stings are painful and sometimes lethal. In early spring, remove nests close to human activity. Keep your home area clear of wasp nests by sealing foundation cracks and keeping garbage covered. Consider creating designated ‘wasp’ spaces luring them far away from BBQ and outdoor recreation spaces with bait or pheromone traps. Or give them their own zone. Forewarn your family and friends to steer clear of wasp zones.

The Tachytes wasp, common 

in our area, is a solitary wasp that makes its home underground. So as you can see, it's not as simple as a Friend or Foe. These complex insects present some risk but also provide benefits to our ecosystem. For more, here's a link https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1448/cir1448.pdf Identification of Bees in Southwest Idaho—A Guide for Beginners