Do bumble bees, honey bees, and yellow jackets mind their own business
I have a holly shrub at the corner of the garage along the walkway. The shrub now is profusely blooming and swarmed by bees.
My students come to my home for lessons. And one of the parents told me yesterday that the shrub was swarmed by yellow jackets. She and her children were scared, and asked me to do something about it.
I checked it out today and took both a video and several photos. I know that the insects are too small to be identified. However, from what I understand, yellow jackets are very aggressive and wouldn't be eating the nectar together with other bees. 90% of the bees I saw swarming the shrub were bumble bees. I saw a couple of smaller thinner bee, looking like honey bees. The problem is that I cannot be sure what those tinier ones really are. It's hard for me to tell a honey bee from a yellow jacket, when they are flying around so quickly. I can id them from a still photo, but not when they are so active!
Aren't yellow jackets mainly just eat other insects, blood, and meat? They don't consume nectar much, do they? I am just wondering if there are yellow jackets there? I felt perplexed, as soon as the parent asked me to do something about it. I don't want to kill any insects, unless they pose a threat. If there are no yellow jackets around my property, then I can tell the parent not to worry.
They are bumble bees, right???
Not sure what they are. They fly faster than the big fat bumble bees:
Thanks
Comments (6)
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agojjjjade H thanked rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7Related Discussions
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