Quiz Answers: Wasps and Bees

Here are the answers to yesterdays quiz on wasps and bees. Both insects are most often beneficial to yards and the world - but care is required in each case to avoid painful stings. 

1. The true statement is (b) all yellowjackets are wasps. Yellowjacket wasps are a variety of  "social wasp" often found in southern California.

2. Paper wasps make their nests (d) under the eaves of houses - this is where we most often find paper wasps in the city. In more rural areas their nests may be seen under tree branches or vines - so give yourself credit if you chose (b) in trees.

3. Honey bees are attracted to (a) flowers. If you spot a buzzing insect flying around your picnic table it is probably a wasp.

4. Yellowjackets are attracted to (d) all of the above: soda cans, meat (giving them the common misnomer "meat bees") and other insects - an important part of their diet.

5. Only female bees and wasps can inflict stings because (a) the stinger is a modified egg-laying apparatus. Although it is true that male bees spend most of their time in the hive, and that females are more aggressive, the plain physiological fact is that the stinger is a gender-specific organ.

6. The insect pictured above is a (a) yellowjacket wasp. Note the distinctive markings, narrow waist, and absence of hair (see question 7). The pictured insect is in fact a German yellowjacket queen.

7. Although bees and wasps are often confused, they can be distinguished by the wasp's narrow waist, the bee's thickened hairs, and the distinct markings and coloration of each insect. While honey bees are mustard-colored and black, yellowjackets are usually a brighter yellow - hence the name.

8. Wasps are important to the balance of nature in several ways. They are used in agricultural pest control, as a natural predator for destructive bugs, and they are an important part of the food chain. However, they do not supply foot for other insects, and as far as we know they are not used in drug research. So the correct answer is (a) parasitic wasps are used in agricultural pest control.

We hope you've learned something useful about the flying insects that share space with you here in Southern California. The bottom line is that bees and wasps can inflict painful stings, and should not be allowed to nest on or near homes. They have important roles to play in the ecology, but can pose risks especially to children, pets and the elderly. The best way to eliminate a nest that becomes a threat to your home is to call a licensed professional.

Tuesday's Quiz: Wasps and Bees

Today's quiz poses questions that will lead to better identification of wasps and bees. How are they different? How do they impact residents of San Diego? Take the quiz and see how much you know about the local buzz.

1. Which of the following statements is true:

a. All bees are yellowjackets.

b. All yellowjackets are wasps.

c. All wasps are yellowjackets.

d. All yellowjackets are bees.

2. Paper wasps make their nests

a. in paper

b. in trees

c. in abandoned rodent burrows

d. under the eaves of houses

3. Honey bees are attracted to

a. flowers

b. meat

c. other insects

d. all of the above

4. Yellowjackets are attracted to

a. soda cans

b. meat

c. other insects

d. all of the above

5. Only female bees and wasps can inflict stings because

a. the stinger is a modified egg-laying apparatus

b. male bees are not allowed outside the hive

c. female bees are more aggressive

d. the stinger usually remains in the skin, and female bees are expendable

6. The insect pictured above is a

a. yellowjacket

b.  bee

c.  wasp

d.  hornet

7. Although bees and wasps share many qualities, they can be distinguished by

a. the wasp's narrow waist

b. the bee's thickened hairs

c. the distinct marks and coloration of each insect

d. all of the above

8. Although wasps do not pollinate nor make honey, they are important because

a. parasitic wasps are used in agricultural pest control

b. social wasps supply food for other insects

c. wasps are used in research for drug studies

d. all of the above

Quiz Answers: Bees

Here are the answers to yesterday's Bee quiz. 

1. The ancient civilization which used honey as currency and later minted coins with the image of a bee on them was (c) the Roman Empire. Ancient Romans honored the honeybee for its industry. Egyptians and Greeks kept bees anciently, but did not use them as currency.

2. A single colony of honeybees can contain (c) 20,000-80,000 individuals. That's a lot of bees! Consider full capacity at Petco Park is less than 50,000.

3. Their first week on the job, adult worker honeybees (a) clean the hive. The second week they are promoted to feed the young. Third-week bees make and repair wax cells, and graduate their fourth week to guarding the hive.

4. The Australian "karbi" bee uses a form of torture on intruders which was borrowed years ago in the form of the "rack." The correct answer is (b): guard bees latch onto the intruder's limbs and pull - stretching them to their full extent for an hour. Does this make for taller bees? Or fewer intruders? Kind of explains Australian football, doesn't it?

5. Of the 15 states which have identified the European honey bee as the official state insect, (b) Nebraska and New Jersey are the two listed. Complete list: Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. To the best of our knowledge, Utah is the only one to have a minor league baseball team actually named "The Bees."

6. It would take (d) 9-10 bees to equal the weight of one M&M's plain candy. This factoid will not do much for bee control, but it may be a fascinating conversation starter. Or not.

7. A queen bee must eat (d) 80 times her weight each day to produce 2,000 eggs. To put this in perspective, this would be like a 12-year-old human eating 6400 pounds of food. That's a lot of M&M's!

8. Surprisingly, the average life span of a queen bee is (d) 2-8 years. Obviously, after all that food, they must work out.

For an interesting video on the life cycle of bees, click here. Another great video taking you inside the hive is found here.

Tuesday's Quiz: Bees

This week's quiz takes on your knowledge of bees. See how much you know about these industrious insects, then check your answers in tomorrow's blog.

1. What ancient civilization used honey as currency, then later used the image of the bee minted into coins?

a. Egyptian

b. Babylonian

c. Roman

d. Sumerian

2. A single colony of honey bees can contain how many individuals?

a. 5,00-6,000

b. 10,000-15,000

c. 20,000-80,000

d. 120,000-150,000

3. What do adult worker honeybees do their first week on the job?

a. clean the hive

b. feed the young

c. make and repair wax cells

d. guard the hive

4. An Australian bee, called a "karbi," has an unusual way of dealing with intruders. What do they do?

a. Intruders are stacked in cells where they wait to be eaten by young bees.

b. Guards cooperate to grasp the intruders' limbs and stretch them to their full extent for an hour.

c. Intruders are paralyzed and used like hockey pucks.

d. Guard bees take intruders to the nearest body of water and hold their heads under water.

5. Fifteen of our 50 states hail the European honey bee as the official state insect. Which of the following states are included in these fifteen?

a. California and Arizona

b. Nebraska and New Jersey

c. Oregon and Idaho

d. Hawaii and Alaska

6. How many bees would it take to equal the weight of one M&M's plain chocolate candy?

a. 3-4

b. 5-6

c. 7-8

d. 9-10

7. How much does a queen bee have to eat each day to produce 2,000 eggs?

a. 5 times her weight

b. 20 times her weight

c. 50 times her weight

d. 80 times her weight

8. What is the average life span of a queen bee?

a. 7-8 weeks

b. 3-4 months

c. 10-12 months

d. 2-8 years

Buzzing Off: Bee News

According to an article in National Geographic' online news section, scientists are hard at work studying bees in order to solve the mystery of why the world's honeybee population is in serious decline. Perhaps you've wished unwanted bee's nests in an attic or shed would buzz off - and of course if they are Africanized, the bees are dangerous and need to go. But U.S. beekeepers began noticing a few years ago that huge numbers of bees are dying off for no apparent reason. These are bees that contribute around $15 billion to the U.S. economy every year, and are necessary for pollinating 90 major crops. So studying the problem and finding a solution are critical to farmers and humankind in general. As zoologist Martin Wikelski puts it, "Everything depends on pollinators."

The key to understanding what's causing the honeybees' decline could be creating tracking tags that are small enough to fit on their backs. Scientists have already created electronic tags that are easily carried by two of the larger bee species. These tiny trackers are about the size of three of four grains of rice, and weigh in at 0.006 ounces (170 milligrams). They are attached to the backs of orchid bees and carpenter bees with just a bit of eyelash glue and superglue.  Still smaller tracking devices need to be created to study honeybees, but the team of scientists is hopeful engineers can shrink them by another 40 percent. In the meantime, native wild bees are picking up the slack, helping pollinate crops that were previously pollinated by the vanishing domesticated bees.

We suggest homeowners call in a professional to help with bees nesting in any structures. If Africanized, the bees can be dangerous - especially to children, the elderly, and pets. If it is determined that bees on your property are not Africanized, a bee removal service may be able to keep the nest intact and simply relocate the bees.

Click here for a video on "Disappearing Honey Bees: Beekeepers on What's Happening."

Undercover Bees

A recent article in Science News describes the latest "Sting Operation" - bees and wasps trained to sniff out illegal and dangerous substances. According to the article by Susan Gaidos, researchers have found that bees are adept at discerning the smell of TNT, methamphetamine and other scents. With similar training, wasps have been used to find bodies in search-and-rescue missions. Bees and wasps may be put to work in sniffing out drugs and bombs at airports and border crossings, military installations and schools. Apparently, it only takes a few minutes of training to replace the bees' natural ability to find pollen with the target scent. The photo above shows a honeybee receiving an odor by sticking out its proboscis - filing away orders for the day. 

Chemist Robert Wingo of Los Alamos' Stealthy Insect Sensor Project is quoted in the article as saying, "The general premise is, if it smells, we believe we can train our bees to detect it." Bees are cheaper and quicker to train than dogs, and seem to be able to pick up scents that dogs cannot. In some cases, the bees perform better than lab instruments. How do they do it? Bees and other insects have antennae covered with thousands of microscopic sensors. Even moths can learn and remember a wide range of target odors. Research in insect tracking began in earnest in the 1990's, but the obvious question was how to harness the effect without letting bees loose in an airport or school. Today, portable bomb detectors are contained in units about the size of a shoe box. Inside, bees are kept in tubes and exposed to puffs of air as a video camera monitors the bees' reactions. They have been taught to stick out their tongues when the air puff smells of TNT or plastic explosives. Using the same approach forager bees can detect a wide variety of compounds, including illegal drugs, even when buried with other scents. Other teams of scientists are working with wasps, giving them similar tasks and training. But for now, the real world applications have been few. With further refinement, you may be facing undercover bees at airports and in the workplace soon. Just a matter of getting the bugs worked out!

"Killer Bees" - Part 2

The term "Killer Bees" is a media label, but it has stuck for good reason. In June of this year, a teenage boy was hospitalized and his dog killed in a severe attack of Africanized Honey Bees they encountered while hiking at a park in Chatsworth, California. The unlucky dog had disturbed a nest of Africanized bees. In an attempt to save his dog, the young man was stung at least 200 times as he carried the dog as far as he could before collapsing. Pets, children and the elderly are most at risk, as they are most likely to be caught by surprise and least able to move quickly in escape. How can you avoid these "killers"? Here are a few tips: 

1. Carefully examine the exterior of your house for holes or fissures, and fill them. We have found bees love to invade a house by entering through a hole left by an old cable line. Any gap larger than 1/8 inch can become a problem.

2. Take a look in the attic, especially in places where roof lines meet. Often the builder has left a small gap, just the right size for bees to enter and nest. Fill these holes with construction foam, or screen them with a fine mesh screen. 

3. Check your yard for possible habitats. Overturned and abandoned flower pots, old tires or boxes, an abandoned shed, etc. If you see bees going in and out of these areas, DO NOT TRY TO GET RID OF THEM YOURSELF! News reports are rife with people who have been injured by spraying Africanized bees with over-the-counter bug sprays. If there is no current infestation, get rid of items that might be attractive to nesting bees. Clean up piles of junk.

4. Install fine-mesh screen over tops of rain spouts, over attic vents, and water meter/utility boxes.

5. If you do encounter angry bees, take cover in a house or car. Even if the bees follow you in, get shelter to minimize injury. Cover your head with a shirt or jacket - Africanized bees target the eyes, ears, nose and mouth when attacking. If there is no shelter available, you may need to run half a mile to get away - keep running!

6. If stung, remove stingers by scraping them out with a flat object like a credit card or fingernail. Removing stingers with tweezers will likely release more venom. Wash sting area with soap and water and use an ice pack. Get medical attention if breathing is troubled.

7. When hiking or camping, listen and be on the alert. Do not reach into small spaces between rocks or under trees.

8. Don't keep pets tied or tethered.

9. Do  not kill an attacking bee. It will release an alarm scent bringing other bees from its colony.

These are a few simple things you can do to protect your environment. 

Be aware that swarms of bees, which look like large, football-shaped clusters hanging from trees or eaves are not nests. Bee swarms are scary looking, but will usually  move on in a few days. They should not be approached or treated unless they stay in the same place for more than three days - and then should only be treated by a professional. Swarms are not usually aggressive since they are not defending a hive. 

Africanized bees are a serious problem. Don't make them your problem! In San Diego County, for more information contact the Department of Agriculture at their toll-free Bee Information Line: 1-800-200-2337.

"Killer Bees" - Part 1

Most of us grew up with the sage advice to leave bees alone and they would leave us alone. Although mostly true then, since the arrival of Africanized Honey Bees (AHB or "Killer Bees") to Southern California in 1994 that advice needs an update. First, some history: Africanized bees originated, of course, in Africa. They were brought to the southern part of Brazil in the 1950's for research, where they inadvertently escaped and have slowly migrated and spread through parts of North and South America. For a current map of AHB colonized areas in California, click here. To see where they are in the United States, click here. More aggressive and territorial than European Honey Bees, AHB will attack if they feel their nest is threatened. But contrary to popular opinion, AHB are neither bigger nor more venomous than other bees, nor are they distinctive in appearance - in fact they look remarkably like their European cousins. The best way to recognize an Africanized colony is by their aggressive behavior. And then it may be too late! For this reason, nests in the wild here in Southern California should be assumed to be Africanized if not under the care of a beekeeper. What this means to the average homeowner is that extreme caution should be used. Africanized bees attack in larger numbers than domestic honey bees. Also, disturbed colonies may remain agitated for as long as 24 hours! They swarm frequently and nest in areas where  European bees usually don't - including small holes near the ground like water boxes, old tires or unused flower pots. If you see a swarm, steer clear and it may move on within a few days. However, if you see bees consistently going in and out of a small hole on the outside of your house it is best to call in a professional. Tomorrow's blog will address some preventive measures and more on California's infestation of "Killer Bees" (video worth seeing!)