Florida Wasps & Bees: Identification, Risks & Management

Both pollinate and control pests, but stings range from painful to fatal. Management starts with identification.

Wasps

Cicada Killers

• Large, solitary, ground-nesting; paralyze cicadas for young.
• Sap/nectar feeders; golf-course sand traps = common encounters.
• Mildly aggressive; sting if provoked.

Paper Wasps

• Social; gray papery nests under eaves/branches.
• Thousands per nest; females sting repeatedly.

Bees

Honeybees

• Furry, ½″, black/yellow; vital pollinators (citrus, crops).
• Sting once; allergic reaction = emergency.

Carpenter Bees

• ¾–1″; nest in existing wood tunnels; pollinators.
• Generations may weaken structures over time.

Africanized Honeybees

• Visually identical to Europeans; smaller wings.
• Faster to defend, pursue farther, react to vibrations/noise.
• Same precautions as European honeybees.

Control nesting near homes via exclusion, repellents, and professional removal when needed.