Strange Bee Questions (You Were Too Afraid to Ask)

👋 Hey There – Thomas Here

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Over the years, I’ve had a lot of folks—neighbors, customers, even my granddaughter Britney—ask me some pretty strange questions about bees. Some are hilarious. Some are surprisingly good. Most are ones people are too shy to type into Google (though I know they still do).

So, I decided to round up the oddest questions I’ve heard and answer them here, in plain English. If you’ve ever wondered about bee bodily functions, sleep cycles, or just what the heck a yellow jacket eats—this one’s for you.

🐝 Do Bees Poop?

Yes. And just like birds, they don’t do it inside the hive.

Bees are very hygienic. They actually hold it in and wait until they can leave the hive to do their business mid-flight. So if you’ve seen weird yellow or brown dots on your car or patio in early spring—congrats, you’ve been bee-bombed.

👉 Read more: What can kill bees?

😬 Do Carpenter Bees Sting?

Rarely, and only the females can. Males might buzz around your head looking aggressive, but they don’t even have a stinger.

Females do, but they’re docile unless you grab or squash them. If you’re worried about holes in your fence, carpenter bees are more of a nuisance to wood than to humans.

🍯 Do Bumble Bees Make Honey?

Yes—but not the kind you’re thinking.
Bumble bees make small amounts of honey for their colony, but nowhere near the scale of honey bees. It’s more like a tiny stash to survive bad weather—not a pantry full of jars.

🐝 Do Bumble Bees Have Hives?

They do—but nothing like the neat wooden boxes you see in my apiary. Bumble bees nest underground or in abandoned rodent burrows, sheds, or compost piles. Their colonies are small, usually 50–400 bees. No Langstroth frames or beekeepers in sight.

🌙 Can Bees Fly at Night?

Most can’t—but some can.

Honey bees are daytime flyers. Their vision doesn’t handle low light well. But certain tropical bees and even some sweat bees can fly in dim conditions using larger eyes and better motion detection.

On my farm? Once dusk hits, the bees are home for the night.

😳 Do Bumble Bees Sting?

Yes—but only if they feel threatened.

Bumble bees are generally gentle giants. They’re far less aggressive than wasps or even some honey bees. But like most female bees, they can sting—and unlike honey bees, they don’t lose their stinger afterward, which means they can sting more than once.

That said, I’ve worked around hundreds of bumble bees and never been stung. If you leave them alone, they’ll usually do the same for you. Just don’t sit on one by accident (ask me how I know…).

🐍 Are Yellow Jackets Pollinators?

Technically, yes. But they’re also jerks.

Yellow jackets do visit flowers and can spread pollen, but they’re mostly scavengers and predators. They’ll steal meat off your BBQ and bully honey bees out of their own hives. Not the kind of pollinator you want to attract.

🍖 What Do Yellow Jackets Eat?

Meat. Sugar. Anything.

They’re wasps, not bees—and they’ll devour protein scraps, ripe fruit, soda, or anything sweet. If you see them hanging around your outdoor meals, it’s because they’re after whatever you’re eating.

🐝 Do Yellow Jackets Leave a Stinger?

Nope—and that’s what makes them worse.

Unlike honey bees, yellow jackets don’t lose their stinger when they sting you. That means they can sting over and over again. They’re wasps, not bees, and they’re more aggressive by nature—especially late in the season when food gets scarce.

I’ve been chased by a few around the farm. Trust me, once is bad enough. Five in a row? You learn to walk the long way around the compost bin.

💡 Are Honey Bees Attracted to Light?

Usually no—but sometimes, yes.

Honey bees are daytime creatures. They rely on sunlight to navigate, and their eyes aren’t built for darkness. That said, if a strong light source is near their hive—like a porch light—they might get disoriented and buzz toward it out of confusion, especially if they’re disturbed at night.

So while they’re not like moths, they can occasionally be drawn to bright lights after dark. If you notice this happening a lot, it might be worth moving that hive or changing the light placement.

🐝 Do Bees Sleep?

Yes, and it’s adorable.

Bees have sleep cycles just like us. At night, worker bees rest inside the hive, usually curled up together in cells or clinging to comb. Scientists even say they dream—tiny twitchy antennae and all.

⚫🟡 Why Are Bees Black and Yellow?

That color combo isn’t just for looks—it’s a warning sign.

Black and yellow stripes are what nature calls “aposematic coloration.” Basically, it’s the bee’s way of saying, “Back off—I can sting.” Predators like birds and mammals learn pretty quickly that animals with those colors (bees, wasps, poison dart frogs…) often come with a painful surprise.

So the color is a form of self-defense—not just for the bee, but for the whole colony. One sting teaches a predator a lesson it won’t forget.

Of course, not all bees follow the dress code. Some native or solitary bees are metallic green, blue, even red. But those classic black-and-yellow stripes? They’ve stood the test of time as nature’s way of saying “Do Not Touch.”

🤔 Final Thoughts from the Farm

Bees are fascinating, weird, and often misunderstood. I’ve been working with them for years, and I’m still learning new things all the time.

If you’ve got more strange bee questions, feel free to send them my way—or ask Britney to post them on the site. No question’s too silly. I’ve probably heard worse.

And hey, the next time you see a bee poop mid-flight, just smile. You’re part of something a lot more natural than most people realize.