Victoria has seven groups of native bees. These include Blue-Banded Bees which are solitary creatures, with single females inhabiting burrows in the soft sandstone or clay, Cuckoo Bees which lay their eggs in the nests of other bees and Leaf Cutter Bees which snips a neat circle or oval from a leaf for its nest.

Native bees and European honey bees play an important role in our natural ecosystem, pollinating our flowering fruit, vegetables and flowering plants. European honey bees can be an unwanted pest when they swarm and land in your garden or a welcome guest when they produce honey for your friends and family.

Honey bees have distinctive yellow and black bodies with black legs and live in large numbers in hives. Although they have similar colouring, honey bees are slightly smaller than European wasps and are less aggressive, usually only sting in self-defence.

Bees are often confused with wasps because they have a similar shape. However, wasps have distinct yellow/black bands around the abdomen whereas bees have a more non-descript light brown/brown-yellow colour. Bees tend to be ‘hairy’ to allow pollen to be gathered more easily whilst wasps tend to be bald and shiny in appearance.

Honey  bees are social insects and live in a nest which may contain several thousand workers. Unlike wasps and bumble bees, the honey bee’s nest survives for many years.

Although honey bees are capable of stinging, they are generally not aggressive and will not sting unless provoked. Bees should, preferably, be left alone but if you wish further advice on their removal you should contact a beekeeper or a pest control company.

If you are unsure as to whether you have a wasp’s nest or bee’s nest you should contact Melbourne Pest Solutions for the eradication of the wasps nest or relocation of the Bee’s nest.