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A Guide to Sunflower Bees
Bumble bees (Bombus spp.)
* Have larger, stockier bodies than honey bees
* Are yellow and black (though some have red or white) and hairy
* Their abdomens are hairy unlike a carpenter bee
* Pollen is carried as moist pellets on the expanded hind legs (corbiculae)
* Females can sting more than once
* Are un-aggressive unless you appear to be attacking their nest
Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa spp.)
* Are large and robust and resemble the bumble bee
* Are often but not always totally black in color
* The top of the abdomen is shiny not hairy like a bumble bee. See in the picture.
* Have strong mandibles that they use to dig into wood where they establish nests
* Are not likely to sting unless handled
* Females can sting more than once
* Have a surprisingly mild sting
To tell the difference between bumble bees and carpenter bees, watch how they move. Bumble bees fly low to the ground and move slowly. Carpenter bees hover motionless at eye level or along wooden beams and are rather quick. In addition, try to see the top of the carpenter bee's abdomen it is practically bald and appears to be entirely black and rather shiny. Bumble bee females carry their pollen as moist pellets on the expanded hind legs (corbiculae), like a honey bee, and unlike any of our other bees. Also, the Carpenter bees splay their wings while landed (Bumble bees fold them neatly over the back).
Honey bees (Apis mellifera)
* Are about the length of the nail on your thumb (an inch)
* Have gold to dark brown or black shiny abdomens with subtle stripes
* While they have hair, the hairs are sparse
* Have hairy eyes
* Females sting once and then die
* Are found year round
* Are not native to the US
* Carry pollen on their hind legs
Green metallic bees
There are a couple different genera with bright green bees:
Agapostemen, Augochlora, Augochlorella, and Osmia....
To find out more about the many different species of bees, visit the bee pages below:
