When you go outside, you may mistake bees for yellow jackets and vice versa, especially since both of these creatures have stingers, they fly, and they have a long, yellow-striped body. However, knowing whether you have a bee or a yellow jacket problem affects the yellow jacket removal process and what methods are used. Although identification is our job preceding the yellow jacket removal process, here are a few ways to tell if you have yellow jackets swarming your yard:
- Body hair–Yellow jackets have much less hair on their bodies than bees. However, this is not to say that yellow jackets are completely hairless, since some types do have a significant amount of hair on their abdomens.
- Waist markings—Looking at the waist area is one of the easiest ways to tell whether a pest is a yellow jacket or a bee. Yellow jackets have a thin waistline that narrows before it connects to the thorax. Comparatively, the abdomens of bees are fairly consistent in size and shape throughout.
- Colony sizes–The colonies of bees grow to be much larger than yellow jacket colonies. Typically, yellow jacket colonies rarely have more than 10,000 members, while it is typical for honeybee hives to hold up to 50,000 bees. However, just because yellow jacket colonies don’t get as large doesn’t mean that the yellow jacket removal process should be delayed after a nest is found.