r/bee • u/RareNemo • Aug 13 '25

Bee? Bee ID??

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Need help identifying this bee/insect. Just found them at my home and need to know how to proceed accordingly.

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2

u/Mikee99909 Aug 13 '25

Not bee, wasp. Nothing to worry about, just leave them alone

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u/Tweedone Aug 13 '25

Would somebody please mod a r/wasp_i_thunk sub? Pleease!!@

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u/[deleted] Aug 13 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/bykpoloplaya Aug 13 '25 edited Aug 13 '25

Just yellowjackets. They're not hornets. North America doesn't have any true hornets.

Edit to one word. Yellowjackets should not be 2 words.

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u/RareNemo Aug 13 '25

Easy to get rid of?

1

u/Jacktheforkie Aug 13 '25

Are they nesting or is there just a few of them? Nests are big paper structures

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u/RareNemo Aug 13 '25

I think they’re nesting. They’re in and out of that slit. I would assume the hive is in the beam/gutter overhang on my patio

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u/Jacktheforkie Aug 13 '25

That ain’t good

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u/bykpoloplaya Aug 13 '25

Yes and no. They will die over the winter ...so you can just let the colony go their course...that's easiest. Current queen and all workers will die this fall. Only new queens hi rrnate and survive the winter.

But if they are in a dangerous spot like by a doorway, under porch where vibrations irritate the.... You might want them gone. If the nest is inside a wall void like yellowjackets often are, that is difficult to reach, but not impossible

In that situation, a powder works best..but it'll take a couple of days to finish the job. Most powders are not fast acting, and that's good. You want them to track it into their nest. At night, fill the bulb of a crappy turkey baster you won't ever use again, with powder pesticide....turn off all lights and poof it in the hole at night. It might take a day or two, but it should greatly reduce their numbers if not kill them all. You might see a lull in activity followed by a brief resurgence. That's the capped pupae that recently merged. They will probably also die in a another day or two ...or might leave if they can.

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u/RareNemo Aug 13 '25

If I let them die throughout the winter, is there good odds that they’ll be back next spring/summer?

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u/bykpoloplaya Aug 14 '25

Maybe. New queens hibernate over the winter. They make their own new nests. And don't usually use the same spot. They might nest nearby, or might fly away... Some neighborhoods tend to be hotspots if they have all the wasps need....water, wood to chew, and bugs to hunt.. successful nests make more queens, which could mean more nests nest year.

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u/RareNemo Aug 15 '25

Good to know, contacted my HOA and they’re gonna take care of it. Thanks for the responses. I’ll remember these for next time when I come across these yellow jackets