Honey bees in North Dakota
Yes — honey bees are recorded in North Dakota. The GBIF biodiversity database holds 221 verified honey bee records from the state — ranking it 51st nationally. Sightings concentrate in June to September. Onset: immediate sharp pain. Duration: swelling up to several days.
| Verified records | 221 |
|---|---|
| Peak sightings | June to September |
| State bite season | May to September |
| Active | daytime |
| Habitat | flowering lawns and gardens; hives in trees, walls and managed apiaries |
| Bite appears | immediate sharp pain |
Honey bee bites in North Dakota: what the mark looks like
The barbed stinger left in the skin is diagnostic — no wasp does this. Because removing it takes seconds and venom keeps being pumped, speed matters more than technique, and scraping is better than pinching.
Locally, the species most often confused with it are — all of which are also recorded in North Dakota.
Seek medical care if
Call emergency services now for difficulty breathing, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, dizziness or fainting, or hives spreading away from the bite.
- breathing difficulty, throat or tongue swelling, faintness, hives away from the sting — emergency
- a previous severe reaction to a sting
- many stings at once
What else it could be in North Dakota
These are recorded in North Dakota too and are the ones most often confused with it here. The differences below are the ones that actually separate them.
| Honey bee sting | Paper wasp sting | Yellowjacket sting | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pattern | single | usually single | single or several — this wasp can sting repeatedly |
| Where on body | feet — bees are often stepped on in clover, hands, face | hands, head, arms — often while gardening or opening a shutter | hands, face, neck |
| Appears | immediate sharp pain | immediate sharp pain | immediate sharp pain |
| Records here | 221 | 63 | 42 |
Honey bee season in North Dakota specifically
Records in North Dakota concentrate in June to September, which is what local sighting data shows rather than a national average — seasonality shifts substantially with latitude. The general bite season in North Dakota runs May to September.
Because flowering lawns and gardens, exposure in North Dakota tends to be concentrated in specific places rather than spread evenly — which is why a bite history ("where were you in the 24 hours before?") narrows the answer faster than the appearance of the mark.
Month by month in North Dakota
These are the 221 North Dakota records broken out by the month they were recorded — not a national curve redrawn for the state. Records appear in 8 of the 12 months here. The single busiest month is August with 52 records (24% of the state total).
| Month | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| March | 1 | <1% |
| April | 5 | 2% |
| May | 18 | 8% |
| June | 48 | 22% |
| July | 38 | 17% |
| August | 52 | 24% |
| September | 45 | 20% |
| October | 13 | 6% |
Counts are observations submitted to GBIF, not bites. They tell you when the animal is out and being noticed in North Dakota; they do not tell you how many people were bitten. The thinnest month with any record at all is March (1).
How North Dakota compares
Across the 51 states with any honey bee records, North Dakota ranks 51st with 221. The state directly above it is Wyoming (428). The highest count anywhere is California (83,258).
Inside North Dakota itself the picture is different again: of the 9 biting species we track with records here, this one is 2nd and accounts for 6% of the 3,549 records logged in the state. A species can be common nationally and marginal in one state, or the reverse — which is the whole reason this page exists separately from the national guide.
Care
- scrape the stinger out sideways with a card or fingernail immediately — do not pinch it, that squeezes the venom sac
- wash and apply a cold pack
- antihistamine and pain relief
- adrenaline auto-injector if prescribed
Avoiding honey bees in North Dakota
- shoes on in clover and flowering lawns
- stay calm and move away slowly rather than swatting
- no strong floral fragrance when working in the garden
Questions
Are there honey bees in North Dakota?
Yes. North Dakota accounts for 221 verified records in GBIF, ranking it 51st among the 51 states with any records for this species, just behind Wyoming (428). Within North Dakota it is 2nd of the 9 biting species we track here, at 6% of the state's records. Records reflect reporting effort as well as abundance.
When are honey bees active in North Dakota?
North Dakota records peak in June to September. The general bite season in North Dakota runs May to September.
What does the bite look like?
a white raised centre in a red swollen area, with the barbed stinger often still in the skin, red with a pale centre. Single.
Which month has the most sightings in North Dakota?
August, with 52 of the 221 North Dakota records (24%). Records appear in 8 of the 12 months here. This counts sightings submitted to GBIF, not bites.
Get a photo assessment in the app
Everything above is free to read. The app adds what a page cannot: point your camera at the bite and get an assessment of the most likely cause, a severity read, and a day-by-day care plan — including the specific signs that mean you should be seen.
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