• Bumble bees are normally found in flowering plants and they can sting. 
• They do not usually nest in structures. 
• Adult worker bumble bees measure in body length about 1/4-1" (6-25 mm)
• Queens are about 3/4-1" (17-25 mm) long . 

Often confused with carpenter bees, bumble bees are characterized by the hairiness of the abdomen (carpenter bees have a smooth abdomen). 

CARPENTER BEES

Carpenter bees get their common name from their habit of boring into wood to make galleries for the rearing of young. These are worldwide in distribution with 7 species occurring in the United States. They don't have a hive as honey bees, but are solitary bees. The female Carpenter bee can get into small areas, boring holes. 

They are perfectly round, about 3/8 " in diameter. The female carpenter bee will bore a channel in the wood from 6 " to as long as 4 feet to lay their eggs in "galleries". Although, they are a wood boring insect, they are not considered a true structural pest. They do not spread through out the entire structure, but prefers unpainted or finished wood. 

HONEY BEES

Honey bees live in social units called colonies. A honey bee colony consists of a single queen, who is usually the mother of all other colony members, ten to thirty thousand semi-sterile female workers and, from zero to a few thousand males (drones) depending on the time of year.

The immature forms are collectively referred to as brood and include eggs, larvae, and pupae. Adult worker honey bees perform all of the behavioral tasks associated with colony living.