» BEES
The uninversal catch-all word for anything that flies and stings. It helps to first understand that true honeybees are a primitive colony insect like ants or termites and are primarily distinguished by the production and storage of honey and the construction of year-round, colonial nests out of wax. There are only seven recognized species of honey bee and they represent only a small fraction of the approximately 20,000 known species of bees. Some other types of related bees produce and store honey, but only members of the genus Apis are true honey bees. Exterminators never, never, never kill honeybees. Ever. If you have a honey bee hive in an unsafe location on your property or in a structure, you will need to enlist the services of a beekeeper who will safely remove the hive to a location where it can survive and continue performing its all-important function of pollination.

» WASPS
A wasp is neither a bee nor ant. The most familiar wasps have ovipositors which are adapted into a venomous stinger, though a great many species do not sting. Many wasps are commonly mistaken for bees, and vice-versa. The biggest threats to the homeowner in New England will come from wasps in the following categories: paper wasps, hornets and jellowjackets. These insects have several things in common:

1. 1. Nests are begun in the early spring by a single female.
2. 2. Nests will expand throughout the summer months as the population increases.
3. 3. Wasps will vacate their nest prior to the onset of winter. They are not a colony. They will individually seek warm places to winter over. Surviving females will begin the process anew in the spring.

Paper Wasps - Also called 'umbrella wasps', these insects build an open nest with visible, exposed cells. While normally built on the underside of a horizontal surface they are able to build on a protected verticle surface as well. They will also expoit warm, protected voids. Some very common locations include eaves, behind rake boards and shutters, under railings, under decks, in warm sheds, and in exterior light fixtures.

Hornets - Included in this group are bald-faced and European hornets and some types of yellowjackets. Hornets are far more difficult and dangerous to control than paper wasps. The nests resemble a large, inverted tear-drop shaped ball which typically is attached to a tree, bush or side of a building. Hornet nests may contain thousands of wasps which are extremely aggressive when disturbed. The nests are often located out of reach and removal is best accomplished by a professional pest control firm.

Yellowjackets - Yellowjackets are another dangerous wasp encountered around homes and buildings. Nests are often located underground in an old rodent burrow, beneath a landscape timber, or in a rock wall or wall of a building. If the nest can be located, it can usually be eliminated by carefully applying a wasp spray insecticide into the nest opening. Similar to hornets, yellowjackets are extremely aggressive when the nest is disturbed. It may be prudent to call a professional pest control company, particularly when access to the nest is difficult. NOTE: Home-use insecticides often are not strong enough to kill the entire population of a nest located in a wall. They may, however, be sufficiently irritating to force wasps out of the nest and into the wall itself. This will result in wasps entering adjacent rooms via the smallest opening and cause problems that will not only last well into the fall but will also be difficult to remedy...even by a professional.