HONEY BEE

WASP or YELLOW JACKET

Honey Bees are:

·         Fuzzy

·         Golden brown

·         Generally non-aggressive vegetarians

Places you may find Honey Bees:

·         Walls

·         In ventilation spaces

·         Trees

·         Inside an insulated space... like a barrel

Places you generally WON’T find Honey Bees:

·         Underground

·         Making a nest in the open.  As a swarm, they will hang themselves almost anywhere- on walls, off trees, light posts, in bushes.... 

A swarm of honey bees joins a picnic

 Wasps are:

·         Not Fuzzy

·         Yellow and black

·         Aggressive meat-eaters

·         Longer and more articulated than bees

Places you may find Yellow Jackets or Wasps:

·         In the ground

·         In a muddy mound in the open

·         In a papery ball under the eaves or overhang

Join your local Beekeepers association & ask questions!

     Sonoma County: http://www.sonomabees.org

     Marin County: http://marincountybeekeepers.org

Catch a swarm and raise your own bees!

Buy package bees/hive at Western Farm, Beekind, or from a local beekeeper

Take a class from local bee guru Serge Labesque at SRJC!

Online resources:

    Peace Corps Beekeeping (Bee basics & Top Bar Hive info):

            http://www.beekeeping.com/articles/us/small_beekeeping/

    Beekeeping supply plans:   http://www.beesource.com/plans/index.htm

Beekeeping Books:

     The Art & Adventure of Beekeeping /Mastering the Art of Beekeeping by Ormond Aebi, Harry Aebi