Honeybee or yellow jacket wasp? How to tell the difference

People often mistake yellow jacket wasps for honeybees, but the two insects differ in behavior and appearance.

Honeybees

• Hairy with a black stripe around body

• Build hives in hollow trees or beekeepers' wooden boxes

• Eat nectar from flowers and turn it into honey

• Transport pollen on hind legs from one plant to another

• Can sting once, then die

Yellow jacket wasps

• Relatively hairless with black and yellow stripes

• Build hives underground

• Eat insects and picnic food

• Rarely visit flowers and don't carry pollen

• Can sting multiple times

Bee safety tips

• If you find a hive, leave it alone

• Don't swat at or step on bees

• Control dogs so they won't disturb a hive

• Wear light-colored clothing, including socks

• Avoid wearing perfume or scents when hiking

• If attacked by bees, run away as far and fast as possible

• If stung, scrape the stinger out with a fingernail, the edge of a credit card or a dull knife blade (using tweezers or pulling out stingers allows more venom to enter the skin)

Sources: Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture