Types of Bees in Northern Indiana

Bumblebees

• Bumblebees are all over Northern Indiana, but only at certain times of year. The fat, fuzzy, black and yellow bees are summertime insects. By the fall, only the queen, who starts a new colony in the spring, is alive. Her workers are extremely defensive and are capable of inflicting multiple sting wounds. Bumblebees usually live in smaller hives that are at ground level. Bumblebee species are rapidly declining and are presently the subject of proposed legislative protection to ensure their continued proliferation.

Honeybees

• Honeybees are the bees that pop to mind most. They are short bees, usually less than an inch long, that like to form a loudly buzzing swarm, although they sometimes congregate in numbers as low as five to 20. Honeybees live in giant hives that may hold up to 50,000 bees and 80 pounds of honey. Honeybees will sting if provoked, but they die afterward, because they lose their stinger. If honeybees swarm a person and sting, the result could be deadly. Honeybee hives should not be approached. Instead, call a professional for prompt removal.

Africanized Honey Bees

• Africanized honeybees are also known as killer bees. They look just like honeybees, but are characterized by their behavior. These bees are not native to Indiana, but have traveled up from South America, where they were bred to supplement the honeybee population and provide honey.

  Essentially aggressive as opposed to the defensiveness of other bees, Africanized bees are triggered by loud noises, heavy vibrations and other attempts at approaching or removing them. Killer bees will remain aggressive for long periods of time after a disturbance. Immediate removal by a professional is the only safe response to sighting killer bees.

Carpenter Bees

• Carpenter bees are solitary bees that are generally harmless to humans. At most, they bore into wood as if a carpenter had drilled a perfect hole. In reality, the hole is a female carpenter bee chewing out the wood, but since they are not social bees, a single hole is not so bad compared to a nest buried in a wall. Male carpenter bees are all black and do not sting. Female carpenter bees are black and yellow and do sting. Both male and female are shiny and relatively hairless.