In an ideal world, you spend the perfect summer under the shade sipping cool drinks. But sometimes you spend more time battling insects instead of enjoying the weather. Bees and wasps, which come out in droves during the spring and summer months, are a part of this crowd of invasive insects. Not all bees are harmful if you see them hanging around your house. Others, however, pose a danger to your person or your home. These are the ones you need to remove.

If you don't know what kind of bees and wasps to look for around your home, read on to find out.

1. Honey Bees

Honey bees aren't known for aggression — they'll usually only sting if you come too close or threaten them. They sting once and die right after. Their stingers keep releasing venom into your system even after the bee is dead, which is dangerous if you have an allergy. This stinger also releases pheromones that alert other bees of your presence. If you're stung by a honeybee, you should take out the stinger immediately.

Honey bees cause other issues with their expansive hives, which can damage the structural soundness of your home. They build them in walls, causing the wood to sag and fracture. Their waste, wax and honey can seep into the walls of your home and destroy siding and insulation. If you notice honey bees building a hive in the crevices of your home, remove them before they can cause damage.

2. Africanized Honey Bees

These bees, also known as killer bees, have painful stings and will aggressively defend their nests, as well as the surrounding area. You don't have to intentionally provoke Africanized honey bees for them to attack, because even small noises or vibrations can disturb them. Once a hive is set off, they may continue swarming other beings within the vicinity for hours afterward.

Experts recommend that if these bees populate around your home, you should take the necessary measures to remove them. They mostly appear in Southern states like Florida, but if you see and recognize them, you shouldn't ignore them. They are dangerous even if you never disturb their hive.

3. Carpenter Bees

Carpenter bees aren't aggressive, though female bees will sting if you provoke them. Male bees have no stinger but will still buzz around you if you come too close to them. They don't pose much of a physical threat, but they create other problems. Female carpenter bees burrow tunnels into wood so they can lay their eggs. As you might expect, this burrowing can damage wood framing if enough bees begin boring holes.

They will even come back to holes they excavated the year before to widen them and lay more eggs. Carpenter bees settle into wood that's unsealed or unpainted, and these areas of the home are typically not visible. Check all these areas routinely to make sure these bees haven't made a hideout there. If they have, it's better to remove them than leave them and allow them to weaken the structure of your wood.

4. Yellowjackets

Yellowjackets are a species of wasp, but they are common to many people's backyards and rapidly expand their numbers if left alone. They are quick to defend their territory and will dole out painful stings if you threaten them or come near their nest. You'll spot them around picnics, cookouts and trash cans — any areas with a lot of food present — because they scavenge this food to take back to their young.

They don't leave their stingers in when they attack, which enables them to sting multiple times. This trait is especially harmful to those with allergies. They build nests underground as well as in houses, so you'll have to be diligent about locating them. They eat other insects, which is helpful, but you'll need to consider if that benefit is worth having potentially aggressive bees in your yard.

5. Hornets

Hornets are aggressive and will sting you multiple times if you come near their nest. They generally nest aboveground in trees, though they'll make a dwelling place out of a crevice in your home if it suits them. Like yellowjackets, they're beneficial because they eat other insects, but they're too dangerous to be worth keeping around. If you have hornets, call a professional if you'd rather not risk removing their nest yourself.

Guard Your Yard from Bees

Your yard is a peaceful place to be, and you can keep it that way by ensuring the safety of your family and your home. If you see bees or wasps around your home, take the necessary actions to remove them.