Bees are social insects that tend to live in colonies (hives), although there are a number of species that live solitary lives. There are about 200 species in the Sydney area. Generally placid, they can become aggressive when provoked or feel the hive is threatened, in which case they will attack in numbers and can cause severe allergic shock and even death.
Colonies consist of a queen, drones and workers. The queen is the largest bee in the colony and can lay up to 3,000 eggs a day. The drones are male bees, have no stingers and their sole purpose is to mate with the queen. Finally, the workers, the smallest bees in the colony, which are all female. They tend to the queen and larvae and protect the hive. A colony can have up to 60,000 workers.
Wasps are a diverse group of insects. There are thousands of species in Australia but two are the ones that are considered pests. The European Wasp and the Paper Wasp. Like ants and bees, wasps are social insects and form colonies. A queen will establish a new nest, normally a number of hexagonal shaped cells, in which she will lay eggs. She will tend to these eggs for a few weeks until they hatch and the larvae mature. They will then take over the tending of the nest, new larvae and queen, as she concentrates on egg laying.
Fortunately, unlike bees, wasps have not developed a method of storing food for the winter months. In autumn the original queen dies and the new queens will search for shelter to hibernate during the winter months.
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Ants, bees and wasps belong to the insect order of Hymenoptera, derived from the Greek hymenas = membrane and ptera = wings. They can be identified by their "narrow waist", which separates the upper body from the lower body. There are approximately 15,000 species in Australia (300,000 world-wide), out of which 4,000 are ant species. They can be found nearly everywhere in Australia and can survive in various habitats. They are generally social insects with distinct castes, that cohabitate in specially constructed nests. They feed on a wide range of food depending on the species.
Ants are highly developed social insects living in colonies comprised of one or a few queens and many workers. Depending on the species, these nests can be found in soil, in timber (although they do not eat the timber, they just excavate it for building nests), and in wall or roof cavities. The queen generally stays safe and deep within the nest and is constantly attended to by the myriads of workers, which are all female. The males usually die shortly after mating.
Different species will eat varying types of food, but they all like foods with high sugar content. They will travel long distances to find food and once found, will leave a pheromone trail back to the nest, so other ants can find it. Although some species can severe bites, they are generally regarded as nuisance pests around households.
Wasps are a diverse group of insects. There are thousands of species in Australia but two are the ones that are considered pests. The European Wasp and the Paper Wasp. Like ants and bees, wasps are social insects and form colonies. A queen will establish a new nest, normally a number of hexagonal shaped cells, in which she will lay eggs. She will tend to these eggs for a few weeks until they hatch and the larvae mature. They will then take over the tending of the nest, new larvae and queen, as she concentrates on egg laying.
Fortunately, unlike bees, wasps have not developed a method of storing food for the winter months. In autumn the original queen dies and the new queens will search for shelter to hibernate during the winter months.
