Identify Your Pest Flying insects Honeybee
Honeybee
Apis mellifera · Also called: Honey bee, western honey bee, European honey bee
Honeybees are lightly fuzzy bees, golden brown to almost black, kept by beekeepers across Alberta for honey and crop pollination. Homeowners usually notice them as a swarm, a large cluster of bees resting on a branch or wall in late spring or early summer.
Size Workers about 12 mm long; queens are longer
Colour Golden brown to almost black, with darker bands and fuzz
Key feature Slim, lightly fuzzy brown body, often with pollen on the hind legs
Season Active spring to fall; swarms mostly in late spring and early summer
Where Swarms on branches, fences and eaves; colonies in walls, attics, chimneys
What it looks like
Honeybees are slimmer than most bumblebees. The body ranges from golden brown to almost black, with darker bands on the abdomen and short, light fuzz on the thorax. Workers often carry balls of yellow or orange pollen on their back legs. They are calm while feeding on flowers and seldom land on food or drinks.
A swarm looks alarming but is usually gentle. It is a hanging cluster of thousands of bees, often about the size of a soccer ball, clinging to a branch, fence or wall while scout bees search for a new home. A colony that has moved into a building looks different: a steady stream of bees at one gap in siding, a soffit or a chimney, day after day.
Often confused with
Yellowjacket
Bumblebee
Drone fly
Signs to look for
A cluster of bees outdoors
Steady bee traffic at one gap
Bees at water sources
Humming or sticky stains
Risks and damage
Honeybees sting only to defend themselves or their colony. The barbed stinger stays in the skin, so scrape it out quickly with a fingernail or card. Most stings cause short-lived pain and swelling, but people with a bee venom allergy need medical help right away. A colony living in a wall can leave honey and wax behind that melt, ferment, stain walls and ceilings, and attract other pests if it is not fully removed.
In Alberta
Alberta is Canada’s largest honey producer, and managed hives are common on farms and in some Edmonton and Calgary yards. Honeybees are not native here. Swarms appear mostly in late spring and early summer. Wild colonies in walls are uncommon, since few survive an Alberta winter.
Alberta produces more honey than any other province. Much of it comes from bees working the province’s canola, alfalfa and clover fields.
How to keep them out
Seal gaps before swarm season
Screen vents and chimneys
Leave swarms alone
Remove old comb completely
When it is time to bring in a professional
A swarm hanging on a branch or fence can sometimes be collected by a local beekeeper. Professional help is worth it when bees have moved into a wall, attic or chimney, since both the bees and the comb need to come out. Technica’s licensed technicians can confirm the species and help arrange relocation where possible.
Frequently asked questions
Is a honeybee swarm dangerous?
Swarming bees are usually calm because they have no nest or young to defend yet. Keep people and pets back and do not disturb the cluster. It often moves on within a few hours to a couple of days. Volunteer beekeepers in Edmonton and Calgary may be able to collect a swarm.
Why can't bees in my wall just be sealed in?
Sealing a live colony inside can push bees into the home. Even if the bees die, the honey and wax left behind can melt, ferment, stain walls and draw other pests. The comb usually needs to be taken out and the space repaired.
How can I quickly tell a honeybee from a wasp?
Look at the body and the behaviour. Honeybees are lightly fuzzy and golden to dark brown and spend their time on flowers. Yellowjackets, the wasps most often seen at picnics, are shiny and bright yellow and black, and they come to meat, sweet drinks and garbage.