Our Services Explore Bees & Beekeeping What bee is this? In summer we get many calls and questions from people with bees in their homes, outbuildings or bird boxes. Often these turn out to be bumblebees. As well as honey bees there are around 24 species of bumblebee and over 240 species of solitary bee in the UK. To find out what type of bees you have please see the pictures below.Honeybees There can be variation in the colour of the main body or abdomen of honeybees, from honey coloured Italian bees to very dark native Black honeybees but all will form a distinctive cluster when they have settled as a swarm. Honeybees have large hairy eyes, a furry chest or thorax and distinctive bent antennae. d This is a swarm of honeybees gathered on a wall. There are more pictures of swarms here honeybee swarmsIf you are sure they are honey bees then you can input your postcode to find a volunteer beekeeper who may be willing to collect the swarm. However, beekeepers are not normally able to collect honey bees from roof voids, cavity walls and chimneys. Further information if you have bees in the structure of your property: Bees in Buildings Other bees If they are not honey bees (Apis mellifera), unfortunately beekeepers do not normally remove them. This is because of the low chance of success and the capacity of our members to respond to the very large volume of non-honey bee calls. If wasps or hornets and they are in a dangerous position you may wish to contact a pest control company as beekeepers will not remove them. Bumblebees If the bees are not honey bees please leave them alone if possible. All bees are valuable pollinators and many are becoming endangered. Bumblebee nests will normally die out in Autumn. Most bumblebees live in small colonies, are not aggressive, do not sting unless provoked and so present a low risk. If you have a bumblebee nest with an entrance that is causing problems, it is sometimes possible to redirect their flight path. Tree bumblebees (Bombus hypnorum) may be more sensitive to vibrations and are on occasion a little feisty. Tree bumblebees have a distinctive white rump and ginger furry back and often like to nest in bird boxes. However they usually only fly for a few weeks so should be left alone. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust website has further information. Red-tailed Bumblebee Worker with pollen Buff-tailed Bumblebee Queen Red-tailed Bumblebee Male Tree Bumblebee Common Carder Bumblebee Worker Solitary Bees As their names suggest, solitary bees do not live in colonies. Each female makes her own nest but they can nest close together in large numbers. If they are in your lawn or buildings, they may look worrying but they cause no damage. Again most species only fly for a few weeks so will probably disappear again within a month. Please leave them alone if you can. Tawny Mining Bee Female Wool Carder Bee Male Buffish Mining Bee Female Red Mason Bee Male & Female Leafcutter Bee Female Leafcutter Bee Female Ivy Mining Bee Red Mason Bee Female Colletes Plasterer Bee Female Ashy Mining Bee Hornets - European and Asian European Hornets are native and of no threat. European Hornet Asian Hornets are an invasive species and must be reported! Never Disturb an Active Asian Hornet Nest! Beekeepers cannot remove Asian Hornets but we can assist with identification. See our identification page for further information. Also, please report any sightings immediately to: [email protected] or use the 'Asian Hornet Watch' smartphone app. Asian Hornet Asian Hornet Primary Nest with Queen Wasps Are they bright yellow with black stripes?Very smooth, mainly yellow with black stripes?Are they in the roof of your house?Are they coming from a round nest? Is there a nest in the shed?Do they have a high pitched buzz?Are they after all things sweet?These are wasps. For more information go to BWARS. Bee Mimicking Hoverfly There are flies that people mistake for bees and that is not surprising because nature has designed them like that to ward off their predators. How to tell the difference: bees have two pairs of wings, flies only have one. Bees have long antennae, flies have short antennae. Bees have hairy eyes, flies have very large eyes. Most like the one below have eyes that cover the whole of the front of their head and two small feathery antennae stick out just below them. And definitely just one pair of long wings. If you need more help identifying a bee then there is further information on our swarm collection page.On Facebook the BWARS group has many experts on bee identification via their Facebook pageFor further information the following web links may prove useful: About Bumblebees Identify a BumblebeeBumblebee nests FAQs Solitary Bees About Solitary BeesGuide to British Solitary Bees This link will take you to a very comprehensive picture ID of most UK bees. BWARS Website Information sheets on gardening for bees & beehotelsSpecies information sheets Photo gallery Frequently Asked Questions What can I do if: bumblebees nest in an air brickWhat do I do if: bumblebees nest in my bird boxWhat do I do if: solitary bees nest in my lawn?Can they sting my pets?Will they sting my children?Answers <ENDS> Manage Cookie Preferences