There’s nothing like the sights, sounds, and smells that fill your garden–until one of those sights or sounds is a bee or wasp buzzing by.
Before you panic, discover the important role these pollinators play in the environment and your garden’s ecosystem with Clegg’s Pest Control. We’ll help you learn more about types of bees and wasps in North Carolina so you can enjoy a peaceful coexistence outdoors or have a plan for proper management without fear of being stung.
Why Bees and Wasps Are Important
If you’re wondering why we should protect bees, think about how much you love your garden. While they may sting or buzz around your picnic, bees are crucial to the environment’s health. Eighty percent of the world’s plants need a pollinator to reproduce. Think of that statistic in another way: one of every three bites of your food, from fruits and vegetables to chocolate and nuts, was made with the help of pollinators like bees.
While bees might be the more famous pollinators, that doesn’t mean wasps don’t do their share of the work. Wasps are also very prominent pollinators and often serve as natural pest control by feeding on harmful pests like aphids, flies, and caterpillars.
Types of Bees in North Carolina
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Alt Text: A carpenter bee gathering pollen from a milkweed.
As you begin to understand the larger-than-life responsibilities pollinators carry on their tiny wings, learn which types of bees and wasps you may encounter in your garden. There are more than 500 bee species in North Carolina alone, but we’ll only focus on a few.
North Carolina Bee Species: Bumble Bees
One of the most common types of bees found in North Carolina is bumble bees. They can be identified through their large and fuzzy bodies with black and yellow stripes lining across their abdomen. The difference between bumble bees and honey bees is that bumble bees have smooth, unbarbed stingers that allow them to sting multiple times without dying. Female bumble bees do sting when they feel threatened, they are considered a more relaxed bee species compared to others.
North Carolina Bee Species: Carpenter Bees
Another type of bee found in North Carolina is the carpenter bee. Larger than honey bees, carpenter bees are named for their ability to make tunnels through wood. Your mind may jump to wood-eating pests like termites, but carpenter bees don’t feed on wood–they just carve the tunnels for shelter. Carpenter bees can sting, but are not aggressive as long as you keep your distance!
Types of Wasps in North Carolina
While they both sting, bees have an understandably more positive association than wasps. Unlike bees–except Africanized bees–many wasp species, like yellowjackets, are often more aggressive and territorial. Nevertheless, wasps are still key pollinators, and understanding the many types of wasps in North Carolina can help you stay safe around them.
North Carolina Wasp Species: Yellowjackets
Yellowjackets are small with distinct yellow and black markings. They’re a common wasp species to watch out for in your North Carolina yard. You can best detect a yellowjacket problem if you find their nests, which look like groups of small, tan, papery spheres with many holes.
You can spot these nests along the bases of trees and shrubs, on the eaves of your roof, or inside old rodent burrows. Don’t go actively searching for wasp nests, however. Yellowjackets are especially aggressive and will sting you if you get too close to their colony.
North Carolina Wasp Species: Paper Wasps
You should also watch out for paper wasps in North Carolina. Paper wasps have black or brown bodies with yellow or brown linings. They’re commonly confused with mud daubers, but paper wasps do not build their nests within the mud and instead prey on caterpillars and other insects above land. They can sting as an act of defense for their nest.
North Carolina Wasp Species: European Hornets
European hornets were introduced to North America in the 1840s, and have since made their way to backyards throughout North Carolina. Larger in size compared to other wasps, European hornets have brownish-red bodies with a dull yellow abdomen, and are nocturnal, which means they may even interrupt your evening campout.
How Bee and Wasp Pest Control in North Carolina Can Help
Educating yourself about stinging pollinators can help cultivate a more peaceful backyard coexistence with bees, but factors like severe allergies, pets, small children, and older family members require a more proactive approach for wasps. Before you try risky DIY solutions like getting rid of wasps with gasoline, turn to responsible solutions from pest control professionals.
With professional wasp control, a trained, knowledgeable pest control technician thoroughly inspects your property for a growing nest or full-on infestation. Once they’ve found and identified the issue, your pest control technician lays out and enacts a plan for wasp treatment that won’t devastate these vital pollinators. If you have concerns about bees around your property, we still encourage you to connect with pest professionals.
Get the Best Wasp Pest Control With Clegg’s Pest Control!
For premier bee and wasp control services in North Carolina, look no further than Clegg’s Pest Control. We have over 50 years of experience in treating stinging insect infestations around homes and businesses.
Ready to shield your living space or workplace? Find your nearest Clegg’s Pest Control service branch or contact our team online to request North Carolina wasp control today!
