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What kind of bee is this.
Hello,
For the past couple of years, I have see this type of bee in the same tree. The tree is near my kids playground and I have never seen any type of bee this large. I live in the US, North Carolina. Is there a way to control these bees if not get rid of them. I was assuming they may have been wood bees or mason bees but the pics don’t look like it from what I have searched for on the web. They almost look like the wood wasp that you have on your web site. There are also a lot of flies around the bees. Thanks
Chris

Hi Chris,
These are European Hornets, Vespa crabro, and introduced species from Europe that nests in hollow trees. What is fascinating about your letter is that you indicate that they are nesting in the same location each year. According to BugGuide, they do not reuse the nest. Perhaps the housing crisis that is affecting the nation has filtered down to the insect world. Your photo appears to document the European Hornets feeding from tree sap, in which case there is not a nest present. If a nest is present, there is a risk of a stinging incident with the children since social wasps are quite protective of their nests. If they are just feeding from the sap, the European Hornets will not bother the children.

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