Do Bumble Bees Sting?
Suffolk County Pest Control is the leading provider of high-quality pest control Suffolk. Equipped with state-of-the-art work tools and personnel with exceptional pest control skills and experience, we have helped thousands of home and business owners keep pest at bay in their living and work areas.
The common pests covered by our control services include cockroaches, fleas, dust mites, termites, ants, rodents, bed bugs and much more. Here, we are going to lay our focus on bees, mainly bumble bees.
A bumble bee insect is vital in the ecosystem as it is an agent of plant pollination. However, bees can be dangerous as they are capable of stinging although not all types can do so. The two most common stinging species are honey bees and bumblebees.
A bumble bee queen or worker bee can sting if it feels provoked. Nevertheless, unlike in the case with honeybees, the stinger of a female or a worker bumblebee isn’t barbed. Therefore, a bumblebee can sting you multiple times.
American Bumble Bees
American bumble bees look like carpenter bees, another bee species whose males don’t sting as well but females can, but in very rare instances. An American bumble bee has a length of 0.5 inches and the area at the back of its wings is black, and its body has at most three yellow stripes.
“You’ll typically see bumble bees in parks, fields or forests. Their hives are usually at ground level, especially in holes left behind by rodents, in the piles of composts as well as beneath sheds.”
Its body is covered with fuzzy hairs which help it pick up and transfer pollen from plant flowers to where it lives, that is, its hive. Bumble bees then use the pollen to make honey which they feed on during the winter season when other types of food are unavailable. Nevertheless, the honey isn’t eaten by human beings.
You’ll typically see bumble bees in parks, fields or forests. Their hives are usually at ground level, especially in holes left behind by rodents, in the piles of composts as well as beneath sheds. Besides, you may find the hives of these bees in bird nests or trees.
Difference Between Bumble Bees and Honey Bees
Although both species are capable of stinging, there are several differences between bumblebees and honey bees. To start with honey bees are quite larger and live in larger numbers than bumble bees. As a large bumblebee hive contain approximately 400 bees, a hive of honey bees hosts around 50,000 bees.
The stinger of a honey bee is barbed, and so, the bee will die after stinging. On the other hand, the stinger of a female or a worker bumble bee isn’t barbed. For that reason, a bumble bee can sting you multiple times and won’t necessarily die due to the stings.
Therefore, when a bumble bee is angry, it can be more dangerous as compared to a honey bee. Although the stinger of a bumble bee can break off after the bee stings, this isn’t always a death sentence to the bee.
Bumble Bee Removal
In case your yard or outdoor space is invaded by bumblebees and you are worried that they may cause havoc or they have turned violent, you need to consider getting rid of them. However, it is worth noting that a method that is effective in the removal of other bee species may not be successful in the attempts to remove bumble bees since each method’s success is dependent on bees behavior.
Some of the most effective approaches to keeping bumble bees at bay from your area are brush and grass pile removal; sealing cans with sweet and sticky content properly; keeping the ground wet as well as regular cleaning of trash cans.
“The stinger of a honey bee is barbed, and so, the bee will die after stinging. On the other hand, the stinger of a female or a worker bumble bee isn’t barbed. For that reason, a bumble bee can sting you multiple times and won’t necessarily die due to the stings.”
However, the best way to get rid of bumble bees from your Suffolk County home or business surroundings is to seek professional pest control service from a licensed and insured bee exterminator Suffolk.
The expert will remove the bumblebee hive without causing any harm to your family as a result of bee stings besides implementing other bee extermination techniques. An inexperienced person shouldn’t do bumble bee hive removal; otherwise, the bees can be provoked to sting nearby people.
Are you experiencing bumblebee issue near your home or workplace? Call Suffolk County Pest Control today for a safe, efficient and quick intervention.