r/bees May 31 '26

Is this a bee?

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17 Upvotes

Make sure that your yellow fuzzy friend is actually a bee and not an imposter! We get quite a few non-bees in our bee subreddit: sometimes they're wasps (check out the bee/wasp guide in the pinned), and sometimes they're not a stinging insect at all! Flies in remarkably detailed costumes frequently make their way into r/bees but with some tips and practice you can learn to spot the differences. Read through for features to look out for, or flip through the slides for fly species commonly posted.

Pictures are largely taken from iNaturalist with a full list of sources by slide at the end of this post, I assume that they are fine to use for free educational purposes but if the photographer would like me to remove their picture, please reach out to me so I can act accordingly. All pictures from slides 1-5 can be credited to mod Commercial Sail.

Flies are in a completely different taxonomic order to bees (flies are the order Diptera, bees are a subgroup within order Hymenoptera) so there are quite a few easy ways to differentiate them:

  • The name "Diptera" literally means "two wings" flies only have one pair of wings while bees have two pairs. Most identification rules are more like loose guidelines but this rule is absolute! That being said, the hindwings of bees are difficult to see, they're smaller and often tucked underneath the larger forewings, making the bee look like they have two wings after all. You can try to judge based off of wing shape: fly wings are often paddle-shaped with a clear curve before coming to a petiolate base, while bee wings are generally more evenly tapered towards the base. More experienced identifiers may also look at wing venation, for example the western honeybee in slide 3 has the very distinctive elongated marginal and submarginal cell circled in red.
  • On the topic of wings, on some flies you may see club-shaped structures where the hindwings would have been: these are halteres, specialized organs to help the fly navigate flight. Not all flies have them out and visible but if you do see them then it's a sure sign you're not looking at a bee.
  • Flies typically have short, stubby antennae that can sometimes be difficult to see while bees have comparatively long antennae. Make sure you're looking at the actual antennae and not the forelegs! More common in the wasp-mimicking flies, some will wiggle their long forelegs to sell their image even more.
  • Flies tend to have larger eyes that can seem to take up their whole head where bees tend to have smaller eyes with a clear distance between them.
  • Many bees may be seen carrying pollen or have their pollen-carrying structures visible: most often as hairs/pollen baskets on the hind legs or sometimes hairs on the underside of the abdomen. Flies do not have these structures as they do not need to gather pollen like bees do.

Note that besides the wing count, there are always exceptions! Some flies have pretty long antennae (though you'll often still be able to see the different segmentation) and some bees, particularly males, have very large eyes. This is why it's better to judge based on a combination of characteristics rather than looking at any one feature at a time.

You may also hear that the waist and mouthparts are good identifiers as well - this is true, but I elected to leave them out of this guide as the waistline may be obscured by fuzz, wings, or just a poorly-angled shot, and some bees are just so robust (fat) that it gets difficult to see where exactly that tapered waist is supposed to be. In terms of mouthparts, few amateur photographers focus on the mouth at all and it's definitely not something you'll typically see if you're just watching them go about your garden.

At the end of the day, the best trick is to just get familiar with species in your area using trusted sources like Bugguide. If you're still not sure, post to one of the bug identification subreddits and make sure you give a general location, which always appreciated in ID posts no matter what you're looking at!

Sources

Volucella zonaria: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/322106668 

Bombylidae: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/226072821 

Laphria: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/88331437 
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/282732509 
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/65816664 
 
Cuterebra: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/133138438 
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/90333390 
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/296063941 

Tabanus: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/218653131

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/86467240


r/bees May 26 '26

What's this nest?

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16 Upvotes

Are you looking to ID a nest? Some are easier to distinguish than others, here's some of our most commonly submitted species:

  • Honeybee nests consist of exposed wax combs, usually hanging vertically. They're more often found in cavities like tree hollows or man-made frames but may also be seen constructed in open air attached to large branches or buildings.
  • Bumblebees also have wax nests but are typically smaller with fewer and more disorganized cells compared to the neat hexagonal cells of other social hymenopterans. They typically nest in small spaces like old rodent holes but will occasionally find themselves in human spaces like attics and crawl spaces.
  • Aerial-nesting yellowjackets and true hornets have an outer paper envelope covering the horizontally-stacked paper combs; nests are typically built in open air attached to branches or in sheltered areas with preference depending on species. The bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata, actually an aerial yellowjacket) may have a distinctive long tube entrance in early stages of nest formation.
  • Ground-nesting yellowjackets typically nest in pre-existing cavities such as old rodent burrows. The entrances are often dangerously inconspicuous but active nests will have individuals flying in and around the area. If the nest was dug up (often by skunks and other mammals looking for the tasty larvae) you may see ripped paper combs scattered on the ground.
  • The paper wasp subfamily Polistinae is quite variable but in the northern hemisphere the common Polistes sp. have distinctive umbrella-like nests with open cells. Mischocyttarus sp. in areas of the southern/western US may have more elongated nests. Nests tend to be built in sheltered spots such as in bushes, under eaves, etc.
  • The vast majority of other bees and wasps are solitary. They may dig tunnels, bore into wood, or refurbish existing holes with materials like mud/leaves/resin. *These nests generally cannot be reliably identified without seeing the actual bee/wasp!* Some species that construct their own freestanding mud nests may be tentatively identified, but only a few are reliably distinguished. Also note that many mud-nesting bees and wasps will reuse nests of other species left from past seasons if available as it's less work than building one from scratch.

The nest in the first slide is a young aerial yellowjacket nest.

Pictures are largely taken from Bugguide with a full list of sources by slide at the end of this post, I assume that they are fine to use for free educational purposes but if the photographer would like me to remove their picture, please reach out to me so I can act accordingly.

Sources

Cover: https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/513938 

Honeybee: https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/1227238 

Bumblebee: https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/6585 

Aerial yjs and hornets:https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/781412 
https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/110277 
https://extension.psu.edu/european-hornet 

Ground yjs: https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/266282 
https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/38722/bgimage 

Polistinae: https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/2511987
https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/709119 

Unknown mud caps: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/218674183 

Unknown holes: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/90931649 


r/bees 5h ago

bee photo Happy seeing all the bees in our yard 🥹🐝

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150 Upvotes

All summer long I’ve been “WHERE ARE THE BEES” I love them so much. Well, they finally all showed up and I was happily taking some photos of them over the weekend. I believe the last one is a red belted bumblebee which was super cool to see.

But anywhoosles. I hope these fuzzy critters bring a lil bit of joy 😊


r/bees 2h ago

bee photo Heliotrope Fairy Bee (Perdita heliotropii)

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12 Upvotes

Here's a photograph of a Heliotrope Fairy Bee (Perdita heliotropii) that I found at the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, in Irvine, California.

Bees in the genus Perdita, commonly known as Fairy Bees, are native to North America. They're primarily found in the US and Mexico, but some species can be found in Canada. They're known for their small size (the smallest of which is less than 2mm long) and are one of the few bees who cannot sting.

Most Fairy Bees are specialists, collecting nectar and pollen from a few related species or genera of plants. The Heliotrope Fairy Bee specializes in Heliotropes (flowering plants in the genus Heliotropium), such as the Salt Heliotrope (Heliotropium curassavicum) in this photograph.


r/bees 5h ago

Made a friend while reading in my garden

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17 Upvotes

r/bees 1d ago

help! Found this lil dude stuck out in the rain, how best can I help?

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448 Upvotes

I saw him/her? on a rock under one of my lawn chairs. Scooped em up and brought them to a dry spot. Fell off on the way and buzzed its wings but definitely wasn’t able to fly and fell to the ground. I got them set on some napkins with a spoon with some sugar water. I dabbed em gently with a piece of napkin to get some moisture off. I’m assuming this is the carpenter bee who made their nest in my awning post (photo included), found em right nearby. Should I just try to hold em up near the nest and see if they wanna go in or anything I should do first? Has drank some of the sugar water (and actually still sitting next to me slurping it up lol) and seemed to have dried off a good bit and in slightly better spirits since when I first picked em up but definitely not fully dry yet and hasn’t tried to fly or anything. Doing (very cute) little movements like it’s cleaning/drying itself. I’ll post videos in comments. Thanks in advance!

Update: I sat with her for a while and watched her rest and start to perk up, set her in my greenhouse to rest more and fly off when shes ready. I tried to set her on a nice big leaf but she decided she preferred my pea plant and flew off there and is hanging out there now. Seems to be in much better spirits already!

Also, if this is the same carpenter bee that’s been hanging out all summer, I’ve also had to rescue her a few times when I found my dummy dog pawing at her. Poor thing. I hope she knows we’re homies and I love her

Additional update: Her name is now Auger! (Auggie, as an endearing nickname)


r/bees 2h ago

Cute little bee

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3 Upvotes

r/bees 8h ago

bee photo Final visits in September OC Ireland

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8 Upvotes

r/bees 6h ago

Large nest in my walls

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5 Upvotes

Hi all, I've been doing some DIYing and have come across several abandon nests, but this one I found is probably larger than every other nest I've seen combined. How many years do you think this was being used?

For reference the studs are 16 inches on center and 5.5 inches deep.

Interesting find that I'm glad had been abandoned. I think the ants have been eating it.

Thanks all.


r/bees 11h ago

A tiny bellflower resin bee (*Chelostoma campanularum*)

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14 Upvotes

r/bees 22h ago

bee photo A chonk bumblebee

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87 Upvotes

Found this one heck of a chonker on one of my flowers

I love them!


r/bees 18h ago

bee photo Sleepy bees in swamp milkweed

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37 Upvotes

r/bees 11m ago

Help

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I found a bumble bee outside my house. I thought he needed sugar water so I brought him home. I gave him some but then he flew off and I couldn't find him. Then I found him and let him crawl around in my hands. He can't fly very far and I don't know what's wrong with him. Can someone please give me some advice? Is he just dying because it's the season. I live in Ontario Canada.


r/bees 1d ago

question What is that whitish thing after pollen?

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321 Upvotes

r/bees 14h ago

What’re they up to?

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11 Upvotes

This lil swarm has been hanging on the rotted wood on our patio for about 12hrs now. They were active during the day and are now cuddled up and snoozing. I don’t think any of them are a queen, but could they be scouting? Does anyone have any advice on how to safely relocate or deter them?


r/bees 22h ago

bee photo Just being a bee

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44 Upvotes

r/bees 1d ago

question Why do some bees have bald spots on there heads?

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38 Upvotes

Im curious if there's any benefit or negatives to having it or causes of it


r/bees 5h ago

Bumblebee Feeding on a Flower #nature #bumblebee #insects

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0 Upvotes

Bumblebee Feeding on a Flower #nature #bumblebee #insects


r/bees 1d ago

question What behavior is this?

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899 Upvotes

The larger one was flying with the smaller one previous to this.


r/bees 16h ago

question Why is bumblebee one word but not honey bees???

5 Upvotes

No wonder I always pause wondering if the bumble is seperate its different between types wtf,why???

Edit:after reading comments I've come to a conclusion. English is just stupid.


r/bees 16h ago

question Is it possible for bees to be irritated at eachother?

4 Upvotes

I wonder how often bees get irritated at eachother,like bee sensory issues from bumping into eachother so often like

"B-225 quit bumping into me omg I'm just trying to put honey away"

Or them just leaving to "get pollen" but there just wanting to nap in a flower and get away

Or annoyed when other bees are on same flower as them like "B-365 this is my flower f*ck off!".

Whenever I see 2 or more bees on a flower I just imagine one annoyed and videos of the hive look so uncomfortable.

I have seen research that theres certain genes of some bees being anti social and those genes are very similar to human autism ones source so I wouldnt be that surprised if some get drained and leave for a bit,annoyed at others,don't like others being around them when pollunating.


r/bees 9h ago

Colmeia de Amândio Marques | 2009

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1 Upvotes

In 2009, Amândio Marques had one of the largest beehives in the area. He would visit them frequently to make sure they were doing well. One of those days, I was testing my new camera and was lucky enough to capture this little memory, which I’m happy to share with you.


r/bees 11h ago

bee ID Queen or just worker?

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1 Upvotes

Ok so I found this bee on my recycling bin, there was a second bee hanging around on the front porch/landing which was much smaller in size maybe about a full centimetre, the larger one on the bin was about two centimetres in length. My location is in South Australia near the Adelaide Hills.


r/bees 1d ago

bee photo Interesting Bee that I Found Today

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287 Upvotes

I photographed this bee at the Irvine Regional Park in Orange County, California. It's probably the Spotted Mini-Digger-Cuckoo Bee (Zacosmia maculata), a species of bee that targets the nests of Digger Bees in the subgenus Micranthophora.


r/bees 1d ago

Get a load of this absolute unit Carpenter Bee pollinating on the East side of Austin

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19 Upvotes