Bumblebees
Size: Up to 1 inch in length
Color: Typically black with yellow stripes
Bumblebees live in colonies that continue to grow larger over the summer. These colonies are commonly found in old rodent burrows, or other spaces under ground. Sometimes they may establish a nest above ground in a wall, shed, attic, or firewood pile.
The worker bees produce honey, which is not edible to humans.
Carpenter Bee:
Size: 1 inch long
Color: black with some yellow
Carpenter bees chew tunnels in wood where they will lay their eggs and the female will eventually pack the tunnel with pollen to protect the eggs.
The male carpenter bee will protect the eggs; however, he does not have a stinger.
Typically found on bare wood decks, fences, and window sills.
Honeybee:
Size: ½ inch in length.
Color: golden-yellow with darker bands of brown.
Honeybees are the only type of social bee that will establish a perennial colony that can survive over a decade.
They forage on pollen and nectar from flowering plants and use this to produce honey to feed the colony.
Nests are a honeycomb appearance and can be found in crawl spaces, chimneys, or attics.