Japanese Honey Bee Facts

Need to get rid of Japanese honey bees? Read on to learn the answers to all of your important questions. Need help? Call our professionals today to get started.

Japanese Honey Bee Facts

Japanese honey bees are native to Japan and are a subspecies of the Eastern honey bee. Japanese honey bees are not known to widely exist within the United States but do look similar to the most common honey bee in the U.S., the European honey bee, or Western honey bee. These beneficial pollinators, like other honey bees, can sting but only do when provoked. Stings are painful and can set off allergic reactions.

How To Identify Japanese Honey Bees

Japanese honey bees look like all other honey bees with their characteristic black and yellow coloring, however, the bands on the abdomen of Japanese honey bees are more distinct than on European honey bees. European honey bee workers have three bands on their abdomen while Japanese worker honey bees have four. 

Japanese honey bee drones have large eyes and no stingers with thick abdomens that are blunt at the end. Worker Japanese honey bees have a “pollen basket” located on the third set of legs which helps them collect and transport pollen. 

Japanese Honey Bee Behavior

Japanese honey bees like to nest in crevices, and can often be found in hives on the sides of buildings in damaged weather stripping or cracks around windows and doors, wall voids or attics. 

Japanese honey bees exhibit certain special behavior that sets them apart from other honey bees called “bee balling.” To combat predators such as the Japanese giant hornet, Japanese honey bees have developed a highly effective swarming behavior in which they completely envelop any giant hornet that threatens their hive. They then vibrate their flight muscles which raises the temperature around the hornet to a lethal level of 117 degrees Fahrenheit. The Japanese honey bees are not affected by the change in temperature. 

Homeowners in the United States do not have to worry about Japanese honey bees as they are not found in North America.

Help With Japanese Honey Bees In Your Home

If you are concerned about Japanese honey bees in your home, please give us a call or fill out the form on this page. PestControlExperts.com is a team of experts who are highly qualified to provide the best recommendations for you and your home, no matter which part of the United States you live in.