Did you hear a buzzing sound in your ear? In the summer, it could be any number of insects buzzing around. Maybe it’s a mosquito. Or it could be a fly. Some buzzing insects are more welcome than others. Honeybees and yellow jackets are two we would rather not see because they can sting us.
![A side-by-side comparison of a honeybee on a flower and a yellow jacket on a leaf.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f72937_50607f06648149afb6cead3bffdeab19~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_583,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/f72937_50607f06648149afb6cead3bffdeab19~mv2.jpg)
Honeybees and yellow jackets are often confused with one another because they look somewhat alike and we see them in the same places and spaces. There are a few ways you can distinguish between them based on their appearance, however.
One key identification feature is a "waist" or lack thereof. Yellow jackets are a type of wasp, and all wasps have waistlines where their abdomens become tapered where they meet the thoraxes. Bees do not have these narrow waists where the abdomen meets the thorax.
Color and texture can also be signs of whether the buzzing insect you are seeing is a honeybee or yellow jacket. Both are striped, but yellow jackets have bright yellow and black stripes while honeybees are more honey brown in color rather than bright yellow. Honeybees are also covered with short, fuzzy hairs, while yellow jackets are smooth, not fuzzy.
Words to know
Taper: To reduce in thickness toward one end.
Thorax: The middle section of an insect’s body that is behind the head and in front of the abdomen.
Both honeybees and yellow jackets will defend their hives and nests if disturbed. Both are also capable of stinging. However, yellow jackets are extremely aggressive and will chase people and other threats. Honeybees will not chase after threats.
More people are stung by yellow jackets than any other kind of bee or wasp. They can also sting repeatedly, but honeybees can sting only one time. They will die after using their stinger.
Both honeybees and yellow jackets are beneficial insects. Honeybees, of course, give us honey, but they are crucial to our food supply too. They are responsible for pollinating more than $15 billion worth of crops in the United States every year. That’s a lot of the food we eat!
Yellow jackets are beneficial because they feed on caterpillars, harmful flies and other insects that can damage crops. They also drink nectar, so they, too, work as pollinators, but they are not a significant source of pollination.
Yellow jackets are more active and act more territorial or defensive during late summer and fall. They nest in the ground and can become aggressive when their nests are disturbed by people walking nearby. We generally think of honeybees as nesting in the hives and combs maintained by beekeepers, but they will also build homes in building spaces such as attics and walls if they can get access. Yellow jackets may sometimes nest in these interior spaces too.
For most people, bee stings are minor, causing pain, swelling and redness that will resolve after a few hours. However, some people experience more moderate or even severe, life-threatening allergic reactions to stings from bees and other stinging insects.
People who have moderate reactions to bee stings experience more severe redness and swelling that can gradually worsen for a day or two and then take five to 10 days to resolve. Severe reactions require emergency medical treatment. Signs of a severe reaction include difficulty breathing; swelling of the tongue and throat; nausea, vomiting or diarrhea; fainting; changes in heart rate; and hives or other skin changes.
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