Bumble Bees
Hymenoptera, Apidae are 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches (19.1-38mm). Bumble Bees are generally black and yellow. Bumblebees are large, hairy bees that collect and carry pollen on their hind legs to bring it back to the hive..
Carpenter Bees
Carpenter bees are large and robust. X. Virginica is three-fourths to one-inch long, black, with a metallic sheen. The thorax is covered with bright yellow, orange, or white hairs, and the upper side of the abdomen is black, glossy, and bare (Figure 1). The female has a black head, and the male has white markings on the head. Carpenter bees have a dense brush of hairs on the hind legs. Carpenter bees somewhat resemble bumblebees, except bumble bees have dense yellow hairs on the abdomen and large pollen baskets on the hind legs. Various species of bumble bees and carpenter bees are similar in size. Bumblebees typically nest in the ground whereas carpenter bees nest in wood.
Honey Bee
The honeybee is about 12 mm (1/2 inch) long and usually yellow, with 3 or 5 dark brown abdominal bands. They carry two pairs of wings and lack the constricted abdomen (wasp waist) of the wasp and hornet. Honeybees can sting, but are much less aggressive than wasps and hornets. Worker honeybees are about five-eighths of an inch long and are brown or black with yellow-striped abdomens. Africanized honeybees are slightly smaller than the regular honeybee, but the bees look so much alike that only lab analysis can tell them apart.
