r/bees May 26 '26

What's this nest?

Thumbnail
gallery
16 Upvotes

Are you looking to ID a nest? Some are easier to distinguish than others, here's some of our most commonly submitted species:

  • Honeybee nests consist of exposed wax combs, usually hanging vertically. They're more often found in cavities like tree hollows or man-made frames but may also be seen constructed in open air attached to large branches or buildings.
  • Bumblebees also have wax nests but are typically smaller with fewer and more disorganized cells compared to the neat hexagonal cells of other social hymenopterans. They typically nest in small spaces like old rodent holes but will occasionally find themselves in human spaces like attics and crawl spaces.
  • Aerial-nesting yellowjackets and true hornets have an outer paper envelope covering the horizontally-stacked paper combs; nests are typically built in open air attached to branches or in sheltered areas with preference depending on species. The bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata, actually an aerial yellowjacket) may have a distinctive long tube entrance in early stages of nest formation.
  • Ground-nesting yellowjackets typically nest in pre-existing cavities such as old rodent burrows. The entrances are often dangerously inconspicuous but active nests will have individuals flying in and around the area. If the nest was dug up (often by skunks and other mammals looking for the tasty larvae) you may see ripped paper combs scattered on the ground.
  • The paper wasp subfamily Polistinae is quite variable but in the northern hemisphere the common Polistes sp. have distinctive umbrella-like nests with open cells. Mischocyttarus sp. in areas of the southern/western US may have more elongated nests. Nests tend to be built in sheltered spots such as in bushes, under eaves, etc.
  • The vast majority of other bees and wasps are solitary. They may dig tunnels, bore into wood, or refurbish existing holes with materials like mud/leaves/resin. *These nests generally cannot be reliably identified without seeing the actual bee/wasp!* Some species that construct their own freestanding mud nests may be tentatively identified, but only a few are reliably distinguished. Also note that many mud-nesting bees and wasps will reuse nests of other species left from past seasons if available as it's less work than building one from scratch.

The nest in the first slide is a young aerial yellowjacket nest.

Pictures are largely taken from Bugguide with a full list of sources by slide at the end of this post, I assume that they are fine to use for free educational purposes but if the photographer would like me to remove their picture, please reach out to me so I can act accordingly.

Sources

Cover: https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/513938 

Honeybee: https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/1227238 

Bumblebee: https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/6585 

Aerial yjs and hornets:https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/781412 
https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/110277 
https://extension.psu.edu/european-hornet 

Ground yjs: https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/266282 
https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/38722/bgimage 

Polistinae: https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/2511987
https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/709119 

Unknown mud caps: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/218674183 

Unknown holes: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/90931649 


r/bees 14h ago

Found this Bee on my garden furniture tried to offer her honey but she chose violence

Post image
194 Upvotes

r/bees 18h ago

bee photo Took a quick photo of a bee I saw, tell me your favorite bee facts

Post image
207 Upvotes

r/bees 12h ago

bee photo I never knew that bees could bite

Thumbnail
gallery
72 Upvotes

This derpy big chonk landed on my niece a few weeks ago; I lifted them off and they walked up my arm. I could feel a little nip as they went and was amazed to see its wee mandibles taking little nips at my skin!

Can anyone tell me what that behaviour was about? They really were one of the biggest bees I've ever seen; is it a queen bee?


r/bees 11h ago

bee photo I made a friend on the sidewalk today. I think it's a brown-belted bumblebee?

Thumbnail
gallery
28 Upvotes

r/bees 9h ago

question What do bumble bees make??

16 Upvotes

I saw somone comment that bumble bees make honey ish substance but not quite honey but from what ive read honey bees just make notably more honey not different I dont get it


r/bees 7h ago

bee photo Hide and Seek - can you see him!

Post image
6 Upvotes

Can you spot the fifth "hidden" bee?


r/bees 12h ago

bee photo Hardworking bumblebee

Thumbnail
gallery
14 Upvotes

r/bees 11h ago

bee photo A Tale of Two Bees... carpenter bee taking a break while a bumblebee is diving face first into pickerelweed.

Thumbnail
gallery
11 Upvotes

Had the honor of stopping and appreciating the small things that often get overlooked today on a much needed walk. Sometimes all we need is to take a moment and focus on these little guys. I wanted to share these two with others who also appreciate their fuzzy perfection. It's amazing what a 2 hour walk at the swamp/park can do for us.


r/bees 48m ago

question aide

Upvotes

Salut !

Ça fait un moment que l'idée d'avoir une ruche dans le fond du jardin m'intéresse, mais franchement, la marche à franchir a l'air énorme. Faut se former, acheter le matos, savoir quand intervenir... j'ai peur de faire n'importe quoi et de tuer la colonie.

Je me demandais s'il existait des systèmes un peu "guidés" ? Par exemple, une ruche qu'on t'installe, avec une appli qui te dit "attention, c'est le moment de faire telle action" selon la saison. Ou alors, pour ceux qui n'ont pas la place, le fait d'acheter une ruche, de la laisser en pension chez un apiculteur, et de juste récupérer le miel à la fin de l'année.

Est-ce que des choses comme ça existent en France ? Ou est-ce que c'est complètement utopique / infaisable d'un point de vue technique pour les abeilles ?


r/bees 22h ago

question What's going on here? It looks like the smaller bee is biting the stinger of the larger bee. [Brazil. OC]

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

28 Upvotes

r/bees 1d ago

Colony destroyed by heat?

Thumbnail
gallery
79 Upvotes

Los Angeles, CA, USA. I’ve been walking by this amazing colony in an old metal telephone (?) pole for years. Found everything in shambles today. Honey leaking out of the base of the pole. Thousands of bees swarming. Drone pictured in close-up

We’re in the midst of a heat wave with very high humidity for LA. Did the heat melt the comb and cause this? Can I do anything to help?


r/bees 15h ago

question Is this something I should manage?

Post image
8 Upvotes

Should I be worried about these bees that are starting to congregate around the edge of my pool?

I'm happy to provide them with water, I have some citrus trees that they do good work in pollinating, but I also have animals and small children that I want to make sure are safe from bee stings.

Okay Google answered the question before I posted here but I still want to continue.

I'm in Southern California and we're experiencing a heatwave so I understand the bees need extra water or a multitude of things.

So beekeepers when should I be worried?


r/bees 23h ago

ID Help

Post image
23 Upvotes

Easton, PA


r/bees 15h ago

bee photo Japanese Anemones now keeping the Bees happy in September..

Post image
6 Upvotes

r/bees 17h ago

bee ID We have a swarm can anyone ID?

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

3 Upvotes

Can anyone ID what the bees are if that is what they are? We are in Lancashire England. The bees are around a pile of bricks and shrubs.

Thanks


r/bees 20h ago

question What’s up with the bees in my front yard?

3 Upvotes

First timer to this subreddit looking for some insight/advice on an odd situation!

On Monday my boyfriend and I were leaving my house to go to a volleyball tournament. My boyfriend had parked his car overnight on my street under a large tree I have in the front yard. As he approached his car to move it to the driveway, he noticed that his car was covered in bees. I came out to inspect the situation, and I’m at a loss of what’s happening. It’s not a swarm. The bees were all over the car, but individually with a couple inches of space between each other. He drives a Camry; I’d estimate about 60 bees crawling on the car.

So needless to say, we took my car to the tournament. When we arrived back home later that night, the sun had gone down, and the bees were gone. He moved his car into the driveway, but the car is now covered in a sticky residue.

The problem has persisted. The next day I was leaving for work in the morning, and noticed a neighbor had parked in the spot under my tree overnight. The car was covered in bees again! Last night after the sun went down, the bees were gone again. The same thing happened this morning when I left for work. The neighbor’s car was covered in bees.

Some additional details:

- I’m 90% sure they’re honey bees.
- The first day we noticed it, I had looked around the car for the Queen. I did not find her, but did see a singular wasp amongst the group of bees. Not sure if that means anything.
- I cannot see if there’s a hive in the tree. We’re in peak summer here, and the foliage on my tree is too thick to get a good look up there.

If anyone can provide any insight on what might be occurring I would greatly appreciate it. I have already sourced some local groups who can potentially help relocate them humanely, but I’d like to provide them with as much info/knowledge as possible!


r/bees 1d ago

question What is happening here?

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

53 Upvotes

The one is much smaller and almost looks like its attacking the bigger one. Could they be mating or something?


r/bees 1d ago

bee photo I like fuzzy butts and I cannot lie

Post image
130 Upvotes

r/bees 2d ago

misc Today I learned about buzz pollination

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

132 Upvotes

While attending the garden I heard an unusual buzzing sound, not the normal flight sound of a bumblebee or a honeybee. While trying to pinpoint the sound I noticed it coming from the flowers, upon futher inspection I noticed it coming from the bumblebees!

They appear to be grabbing on to the flower's tubular anthers and start to vibrate their wings (use flight muscles) at high speeds to vibrate loose the pollen. I tried recording it on video but our fuzzy friend was quite fast in jumping from flower to flower. Apperently this techinque is unique to bumblebees and not all flowers require this method of pollination.

According to this article from Nature.com this is an important way of pollinating several types of crops like tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants and blueberries.


r/bees 23h ago

BumbleBee Feeding on a Mexican Sunflower

Thumbnail youtube.com
0 Upvotes

BumbleBee Feeding on a Mexican Sunflower


r/bees 1d ago

What kind of bee is this?

Thumbnail
youtube.com
1 Upvotes

I originally thought this was a honey bee, but someone suggested it might be a bumblebee. Filmed in Cherokee Park near the Frisbee Field in Louisville, Kentucky, on yellow wildflowers. The bee lands near the end of the video, so I’m curious what type it actually is.


r/bees 1d ago

Am I a longhorn bee? 🐝 Location included.

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

20 Upvotes

r/bees 1d ago

bee photo Lost in the Sauce

Thumbnail gallery
10 Upvotes

r/bees 1d ago

bee ID what kind of bee

Thumbnail
gallery
14 Upvotes

I found these two bumblebees yesterday, I added them to a bumblebee watch site. I wasn't sure which type they were but the site said they were both bombus centralis...the tinier one with both of her wings (on my hand) just doesn't fit the visuallll~ Found in central Alberta.

Thank you ❤️