Nesting Behavior of Stinging Insects

[JAMIE KOPCO] The way stinging insects build their nests varies significantly depending on whether they are social or solitary species. Social insects create nests that house their entire colony, like this bald-faced hornet nest. Honeybees build wax comb hives in hollow trees, rock crevices, or manmade structures. Bumblebees prefer underground nests, often using abandoned rodent burrows or other sheltered spaces such as compost bins or hay bales. Here you see a bumblebee queen starting a nest in the ground. Here is a bumblebee nest built in an abandoned birdhouse. Paper wasps, yellow jackets, and hornets construct paper nests by chewing wood fibers mixed with saliva. Here you see a yellow jacket nest that has been dug out from its underground location. You'll find paper wasp nests under overhangs and in other protected structures, like grilles or under eaves of a house. Yellow jacket and hornet nests can be in the ground, in an enclosed space like a wall void, or exposed but high up in trees or on buildings. On the left is an entrance to an underground yellow jacket nest. The paper structure is hidden from view. On the right, a bald-faced hornet nest in a small tree. Social insects work cooperatively to defend their nests like these alarmed bald-faced hornets. Solitary insects, in contrast, do not share nests with others. Each female builds her own nest and provides for her young alone. Carpenter bees burrow into wood, as you see here, to create nesting tunnels where they lay eggs and store food for their young. Mason and leafcutter bees use mud and leaves to build nests inside hollow stems, wood holes, or bee houses. Mud dauber wasps construct small nests out of mud, attaching them to walls, eaves, or sheltered spaces. Unlike social insects, solitary stinging insects do not have colonies to defend, so they are far less defensive. They only sting if directly threatened or handled. However, sometimes solitary insects can be an annoyance because of where they build their nests. For instance, a leafcutter bee made a nest inside this electrical outlet.