How to Identify Different Types of Bees

If you spend a lot of time out in the garden it's smart to have the skills to identify the different types of bees—plus wasps and other insects that mimic bees—that you're most likely to encounter.

All U.S. native bees and honeybees are capable of stinging but likely won't go after you unless provoked according to certified beekeeper Becky Griffin, who teaches classes on bees through the Center for Urban Agriculture at the University of Georgia Extension's Northwest District. In fact, if you have ever been stung, there's a good chance that it was not a bee but a wasp such as a yellow jacket. «Bees are truly not interested in people at all,» says Griffin. «They are interested in plants and flowers.»

So should you keep an eye out for blueberry bees (you'll never guess what they pollinate) or perhaps paper wasps? Maybe sweat bees are native to your area. Get the buzz on everything you need to know about the different types of bees as well as wasps and hornets with this guide.

USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab / Public Domain

Western Honeybees were imported to North America to pollinate agricultural crops, and are easy to distinguish from native bees by their coloring: golden brown with black abdominal stripes.

The honeybees you'll see are female workers. Look closely at them, and if they've been visiting flowers you will notice yellow pollen on their legs. As the bees collect pollen, they move it across their bodies and to their legs, where they place it in little pollen baskets.

In the U.S., most honeybees live in artificial hives maintained by professional or hobbyist beekeepers. Only rarely do they live in wild colonies. Even if you don't think you have a beekeeper in your neighborhood, you may still see