Wasps vs Bees – How to Identify Them Before Arranging Pest Control in Weetwood
Not every yellow-and-black insect is a wasp or a bee. Hoverflies copy the pattern, and learning to spot them could save you an unneeded worry.
The harmless impostor on the flower
A resident is watering flowers when a yellow-and-black insect hovers in front of them, perfectly still in mid-air, then darts sideways. It is wasp-coloured and slender, and it makes them jump. A minute later it lands on a daisy and sits calmly, with no sign of any intent to sting.
There is a good chance it is a hoverfly. These harmless insects have evolved to look like wasps and bees, and they fool many people. Knowing the signs helps you avoid unnecessary alarm.
Once you know the signs, these false alarms become a source of interest rather than worry, and you can enjoy seeing them at work among the flowers.
A good number of calls begin with the words “I thought it was a wasp but it was only sitting on a flower”. It is a very common experience, and it is nothing to be embarrassed about.
How hoverflies give themselves away
Hoverflies are true flies, not stinging insects. They cannot sting, and they are no threat to people. Their disguise is good, but there are tells you can see from a distance:
- Hovering. They hold still in the air and then zip off, which wasps and bees rarely do in that way.
- Eyes. They have large eyes that often almost meet at the top of the head.
- Wings. A fly has one pair of wings, while wasps and bees have two pairs, though this is hard to see.
- Antennae. Short and stubby, not long and bent like those of wasps and bees.
- Behaviour. They feed calmly on flowers and do not hurry about like wasps at a picnic.
Their hovering is the most obvious clue. A hoverfly will pause in the air a few inches from a flower and stay put, like a tiny helicopter, before moving off sideways or backwards. Wasps and bees seldom do anything quite like it.
Take a picture if you can from a respectful distance, and look at it later at full size. The large eyes and short antennae are much easier to see on a screen than in the air.
Other insects that cause false alarms
Several others can be mistaken for wasps. Some beetles and moths show yellow and black patterns, and some sawflies have wasp-like bodies. Not all of them are harmful, and most are quite harmless.
You do not need to name every species. The important question is whether you are looking at a stinging insect with a nest, and the answer usually becomes clear from behaviour. Real wasps have a nest to return to, and you will see them heading to the same spot repeatedly. Lookalikes wander.
Garden visitors are often harmless in this way. Even so, if you notice any insect repeatedly entering a hole or crevice, give it space and watch from a distance, because that behaviour suggests a nest.
Wasp lookalikes appear at different times, so what you see in May may not be what you see in August. That is another reason for relying on behaviour as well as appearance.
How wasps and bees differ from the lookalikes
Wasps have a clear narrow waist, a smooth and shiny body and sharp markings. Bees are furry and rounder. Hoverflies are somewhere in between, slimmer than bees and less sharply built than wasps, with that distinctive hover.
If you are still not sure, take a photograph from a safe distance and compare it with what you have read. Do not try to capture an insect to check, as that is a good way to be stung if it turns out to be the real thing.
It is quite natural to be fooled. Many birds are fooled too, which is exactly why the disguise evolved. Treat your own uncertainty as normal rather than as a failure.
There is also the question of what the insect is doing. A real wasp on a mission to a nest flies straight in and out of the same entrance. A hoverfly or a stray beetle drifts about between flowers and never returns to a fixed spot. When in doubt, spend five minutes watching from a window and see whether it keeps coming back.
When to call
If the insects are real wasps, entering and leaving a gap, a hole or a visible nest, Wasp Exterminator Leeds can treat it. The price is a fixed £90 per nest, with £35 for an additional nest on the same property. No call-out charge applies, and we agree the price with you on the phone first.
We cover Weetwood, in the Leeds area, and nearby places, for homes and commercial sites. We are open seven days a week and offer same-day service. The number is 0113 347 0014, or use the booking form on the contact page, and say if anyone is allergic to stings.
When you ring us, a description such as “yellow and black, hovering, no nest seen” is useful. We may be able to reassure you at once.
Please do not bring a suspect insect in a jar to show us, or try to trap it. A photo or a description is perfectly fine.
And if it is bees
Honeybees and bumblebees are valuable pollinators, and we do not treat them. Contact a local beekeeper or the relevant bee organisation if you have a colony in a difficult spot. In most cases, bees and hoverflies can be left to get on with their work, and your garden will be better for it.
Good gardens often have many such visitors, and a few flowers that attract them can be a pleasant addition.
If you are still unsure after reading all of this, ring us. We would rather reassure you than see you worry over a harmless fly.
Wasps on your property in Weetwood?
Fixed price £90 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.