Get The Buzz
You might see native bees but think they're flies, and nasty wasps that look like bees. Here's how to tell the difference.
Other bee-like bugs
When you become a beekeeper, it's common to notice more of the insects that populate your garden. It's a good idea to know how to differentiate between the honeybees you're caring for, harmless species of bee and fly, and potential threats such as wasps.
Insects can be sneaky. They have all kinds of tricks to help them hide from predators. Some pretend to be part of a plant. Others masquerade as another species of insect by mimicking its markings.
Flies
There are about 20,000 varieties of bees found all over the world, and a staggering 125,000 species of fly.
Many types of fly visit flowers to collect pollen.
Generally, flies have:
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big, round eyes that bulge out from the head, mostly toward the front. Bee eyes tend to be oval, less protruding, and more at the sides of the head;
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flies have thin, spiky hair or no hair, compared to bees, which are covered in lots of fluffy hair on their legs and bodies;
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flies have only one set of wings, usually spread wide even when they're resting. Bees have two sets of wings, and when they aren't in flight, they tuck them tidily away along their backs;
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a more subtle clue is the antennae. A bee's antennae are long, thin and elegant, while sometimes you can't even spot a fly's antennae, as they are short and stubby.
Wasps
Nobody likes wasps even if they do pollinate flowers and feed on other insects we don't like. They kill bees for food, their stings are painful, and wasps look far too much like bees for comfort.
Here's how to tell them apart:
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spot the ‘wasp waist.' Wasps generally have a different shape, tending to be longer and thinner compared to a bee's round body. Many have a very narrow waist between their thorax and abdomen.
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wasps have four wings like bees, but theirs are long and narrow, while bees' are shorter and rounder;
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their bodies are shiny, smooth, and the colouring is sharper, versus the fuzzy and hairy body of the bee;
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if it stings you more than once, it's a wasp.
Native bees
NZ has 28 native bee species, which are mostly solitary. They are smaller than bees and darker, looking more like flies. Most species live in 20-30cmdeep tunnels in the soil, hollow reeds or beetle holes. Each species of grounddwelling bee has a soil preference, from fine-grained dirt to sand.