Stinging Insect Common Fallacies

This is where we debunk common fallacies that people think about wasps, hornets, bees and many other common stinging insects. What is often believed to be common knowledge regarding this subject is often wrong.

See subjects below:

We have "bees" -or- What type are these?.

These can only sting once, right? -or- They die after stinging, right?

Does this type of Bee / Wasp / Hornet sting?

I've discovered that some Bees / Wasps / Hornets are flying into a hole in the side of my house. I think there's a nest in there. Someone told me to just spray some bug spray into the hole and/or block the hole with some putty and that will take care of it.

I've discovered that some Bees / Wasps / Hornets are flying into a hole in the side of my house. I think there's a nest in there. Someone told me to just leave it alone and when it gets cold out they'll die. I don't think I need to take any action.

Will a Beekeeper want my bees?

I've discovered a nest of Bees / Wasps / Hornets. Will they come after us if we just leave them alone?

1) We have "Bees".

There are Bees and there are Hornets, Wasps, Yellow Jackets and others. In the 48 states there is a total of about 130 species total of all of these. For the most part we typically deal with only about a dozen common types. There is much confusion about which one people actually have. It can make a big difference. Each may build nests in different locations or made from different materials. Each may have 1 individual per nest as in the case of a Solitary Bee, or in the case of Honeybees may have tens of thousands. We won't know what we can do for you until it is determined which you have. You may need to contact us for an Inspection.

2) These can only sting once, right? -or- They die after stinging, right?

It depends on the type. Honeybees use their stingers for defense only. Their stingers come out after piercing you. The stinger remains in you still pumping poison even after the bee flew away. That bee will die.

But in the case of Wasps, Hornets, etc.. they use their stinger to paralyze and kill bugs for food. They'll obviously need their stinger again. So they can sting you again and again. Further consider that the stinger is in the back and the biting mandibles are in front of it's mouth - so they can sting and bite at the same time.

3) Does this type of Bee / Wasp / Hornet sting?

One simple rule - They all sting! They all have stingers. Mother Nature gave them to them for a reason.

4) I've discovered that some Bees / Wasps / Hornets are flying into a hole in the side of my house. I think there's a nest in there. Someone told me to just spray some bug spray into the hole and/or block the hole with some putty and that will take care of it.

It is absolutely essential that you do NOT do that. Never block them in, or spray blindly into a hole in the house. Consider what could happen. The following information is backed by hundreds of customer pleas for help after having done something like that.

In this situation what the Stinging Insects have done is use a void in your structure like they would use a hollow in a tree. That's all very nice for them, but NOT for you.

If they are flying in and out of a hole in the side of your house then there is a nest inside. The nest can be in - a ways. The nest will also have protective layers. The void that they have built in may lead to sensitive areas in your house like bedrooms and other living areas. If you spray or block their only known way out, because of the protective layers and the distance of most of the nest you probably will kill some of them, but most will seek another way out. That means they'll start moving inside your walls looking for any crevice to squeeze out through. They'll find these crevices in your living areas because a small amount of light (from the living area) shining into the crevices and will help lead them out of their void into your living areas. And worse, is that now they are no longer centralized in the nest, they are spread out inside the walls and a constant stream of them is coming in. They could come inside for weeks. This makes our job of killing them harder and more expensive. Also consider that many have not hatched out yet, so as many hatch later from the nest, they can start to re-populate. In this case the possible savings is not worth the risks.

Another result that could arise from spraying into a hole in the house is destroyed siding. Some Wasp & Hornet Sprays have a corrosive carrier in them that will cause unsightly damage to the side of the structure. See the Traps Page about this.

If it's Honey Bees it will be even worse. Honey Bees have honey and wax inside. The honey and wax can melt in the summer heat and spread out in your walls staining everything in it's path, showing up on your interior walls. It can attract Ants, Moths, Mice and other worms and pests.

Even if the honey and wax doesn't melt, then it will eventually rot in your wall.

Honeybees are so numerous that your spray probably would not kill them all. Quickly you'll realize that the nest is re-populating from the newly hatched.

We've had many customers tell us that they've used can after can of bug spray and failed to kill the Honey Bees in their wall.

On the Honey Bees page there are many pictures so you can see what's actually in there.

Do not spray into a hole or block a hole that Stinging Insects live in if it is in your house!

5) I've discovered that some Bees / Wasps / Hornets are flying into a hole in the side of my house. I think there's a nest in there. Someone told me to just leave it alone and when it gets cold out they'll die. I don't think I need to take any action.

The effect of doing nothing could result in a situation as described in the answer to the previous question. When it gets cold outside (about 32 degrees), you'll probably have turned on your heat inside. They will detect cold in one direction and warmth the other way. Have you ever noticed in the spring on that first warm day when Wasps, Hornets, Bees, etc.. come out and land on warm surfaces to sun themselves and warm up their bodies? This is instinctual, because their bodies become stiff and lifeless in cold, but lively when warm. They are naturally attracted to warmth. In the Fall the difference in temperature will tend to send them inward to living areas of the your house. This significantly complicates the job as described in the previous answer above. The best solution is not to wait until it gets cold outside for a nest inside any structure.

6) Will a Beekeeper want my bees?

We can't speak for other Beekeepers needs, but we think wild bees are best left in the wild. Beekeepers can mail order pathogen free bees for cheap money if they really want bees. If you have stinging insects other than Honeybees, then you probably have hornets, wasps, or something like that and we have never heard of anyone wanting those to keep. In any case it can be removed by us.

7) I've discovered a nest of Bees / Wasps / Hornets. Will they come after us if we just leave them alone?

Who can know for sure? Every situation is different. By nature Wasps & Hornets are predators. All of the above have stingers. As the summer goes on their food demands increase. As it gets hotter outside they get more aggressive. When you have food outside for barbeques they may come after your meats or sweet drinks. If the nest is in the walls or inside the structure of your dwelling then they may leave you alone until it gets cold out (see question #5 above pertaining to this).

The best answer is to call us or just have the nest removed.

Also see:

Stinging Insect Traps (Traps that catch you, not them).

Back to Stinging Insects. - Other Tours and more information is available.

This is the Stinging Insect Common Fallacies Page. This is where we debunk common fallacies that people think about wasps, hornets, bees and many other common stinging insects. Many things that people say about these stinging insects are incorrect. Above are the most common of the things we hear from people that are not correct.