Bumble Bees in Texas: Identification, Nests and When to Leave Them
Bumble bees are big, fuzzy native bees, and most of the time the right call is to let them be. A nest only becomes a problem when it sits beside a doorway, walkway or play area, when someone in the household is allergic, or when the colony has already stung somebody. The colony also dies off near the end of fall, which gives you a natural deadline for nests that aren't in the way.
If a nest is too close for comfort, call or text (210) 281-1064 or book online.
Bumble bee quick facts #
- Size: 15 to 25 mm long according to Insects in the City; about 3/4 inch in AgriLife's B-6118.
- Color: mostly black with bands of yellow hair, or black-and-orange hair.
- Hair: dense all over, including the top of the abdomen.
- Social life: colonies with a queen and workers. Insects in the City calls them our only native social bees.
- Species: about 50 in North America. TAIS counts 9 in Texas, and a TPWD-funded study says at least nine.
- Colony size: under 2,000 bees (B-6118) or 300 to 600 workers when food is plentiful (TAIS).
Bumble bee or carpenter bee? #
One look at the back end usually settles it. A bumble bee's abdomen is covered in hair. A carpenter bee has a shiny, mostly hairless top to its abdomen, and it chews perfectly round holes into wood. Bumble bees don't bore into anything.
Other comparisons:
- A honey bee is smaller, about 1/2 inch, and lives in wax comb in a cavity such as a wall or hollow tree.
- A yellowjacket is smooth and shiny, not fuzzy, and nests in a paper carton, often underground.
Where bumble bees build their nests #
TAIS describes bumble bees as ground-nesters that move into cavities someone else already dug. They won't excavate a nest of their own. That narrows the search a lot.
AgriLife's sources list the kinds of places they choose:
- clumps of dry grass
- abandoned bird nests and old rodent burrows
- old buildings
- cushions and furniture left outside
- hollow logs and rotting stumps
- piles of rubbish
Around a home, that might mean an old patio cushion in the shed, a forgotten pile of boards or a burrow at the base of a stump.
The life of a colony, season by season #
- Winter: only mated queens make it through.
- Spring: each queen starts a new colony.
- Summer: the colony grows as workers hatch.
- Mid to late summer: the colony rears new queens and males.
- Late fall: the colony dies off.
That cycle is why waiting is often a reasonable plan. A nest you find in mid-fall doesn't have long left.
How serious is a bumble bee sting? #
The Insects in the City fact sheet on bumble bees points out that, unlike honey bees, bumble bees can sting more than once. Stings happen mostly when someone disturbs a nest; bees working flowers rarely sting. AgriLife's B-6118 adds that a disturbed colony may come out in a group, and that sharp pain with local swelling is the usual result.
For anyone with a venom allergy, the stakes are higher. CDC/NIOSH says allergic people may have anaphylaxis, a severe reaction that can threaten life. For an ordinary sting, it recommends washing the spot, icing it and not scratching.
Are bumble bees protected in Texas? #
Not by any rule we found that applies to a nest on private property, but their status is worth knowing.
- Federal review: In September 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that listing the American bumble bee, whose range includes Texas, may be warranted, and it opened a status review.
- Still unlisted: A USFWS notice dated January 23, 2026 still treated the American and southern plains bumble bees as unlisted. The same notice names the rusty patched and Franklin's bumble bees as endangered.
- Decline: The USFWS species page cites a 2014 IUCN figure of an 89% drop in American bumble bee abundance compared with other bees in the same habitat.
- State: A TPWD-funded study reports that three species, B. pensylvanicus, B. sonorus and B. variabilis, were named Species of Greatest Conservation Need in the Texas Conservation Action Plan. It also lists the Edwards Plateau, along with the Trans-Pecos, as a conservation target area for B. sonorus.
If you want a firm answer for your situation, Texas Parks and Wildlife is the agency to ask.
Leave it or deal with it? #
Usually fine to leave:
- The nest is in a far corner, a pasture or a spot nobody uses.
- The bees are visiting flowers rather than flying around a door.
- It's late in the fall and the colony is winding down.
Worth a professional look:
- The entrance is next to a doorway, walkway or play area.
- The colony has already stung someone.
- A member of the household is allergic to bee or wasp stings.
Living with a nest until it dies off #
If you decide to wait, a few habits keep the peace:
- Push a stake or small flag into the ground near the entrance so nobody mows over it or steps on it.
- Move kids' games, pets and foot traffic to another part of the yard for now.
- Keep mowers and string trimmers well back. Disturbance at the nest is what brings bees out to sting.
- Check the entrance now and then. If the bees start flying near a door, or someone gets stung, change plans and call.
What not to do #
- Don't spray flowers to get rid of bumble bees. Insects in the City says insecticide should never go on blooms for bumble bee control.
- Don't treat the nest yourself if you or anyone helping has a bee or wasp allergy.
- Don't mow, rake or poke around the entrance once you know where it is.
- Don't treat your wood siding or deck for a fuzzy bee. That's a carpenter bee job, and only if the bee is shiny.
How Pest Trappers handles bumble bee nests #
The first step is making sure they really are bumble bees. Carpenter bees, honey bees and yellowjackets each call for a different plan, so the technician confirms the insect and finds the nest entrance before anything else.
If the nest is out of the way, we may tell you it's fine to wait for the fall die-off. If it does need to go, the technician explains the choices. AgriLife's guidance focuses on the nest itself, never the flowers bees forage on, and every product is used exactly as its label says. Pest Trappers LLC (TPCL #0887549) prices the work after the visit, so call for pricing. We serve Fredericksburg, Comfort, Kerrville, Wimberley and Bulverde, among other towns.