Bee wasp hornet identification

Almost everyone confuses striped insects. But if you know how to identify a bee, wasp or hornet, you can understand how to deal with them. Today we will tell you how to tell the difference between bees, wasps and hornets, and which ones you should be afraid of and which ones you should not.

A bit of scientific categorisation

Bees, wasps and hornets belong to the Hymenoptera. But bees belong to the family Apoidea. Whereas wasps belong to the family Vespidae.

Hornets are a subset of wasps and belong to the same family, Vespidae.

Number of species

Bees

There are more than 20,000 species of bees on the planet. But only 10% of them live in colonies. 90% of bees are solitary bees that live either underground or in various holes in wood or clay.

Wasps

Wasps are a diverse group with over 100,000 described species worldwide and many more undescribed. For example, almost every one of the approximately 1,000 species of tropical fig trees has a specific fig wasp (Chalcidoidea) that has evolved with it and pollinates it.

Hornets

Hornets are the largest species of wasp. There are more than 20 species, but the largest and one of the most venomous in the world – Vespa mandarinia or the Asian giant hornet – stands out in this diversity. It can reach a length of almost 6 centimetres with a wingspan of 7.5 cm. The sting of the Asian hornet is not only very dangerous but also extremely painful.

Appearance

Bee

A small and very useful insect. It has a hairy, elongated body. The colour can vary, but is often various shades of brown, from light brown to dark grey. The bee’s body is thicker and shorter than a wasp’s. The bee also has stout legs.

Wasp

The wasp has an elongated, smooth body with a very narrow waist and pointed back. The legs are very thin. The colouring consists of bright black and yellow stripes.

Hornet

The hornet is primarily distinguished from the wasp and bee by its large size. It is practically twice the size of the wasp and bee. The body is smooth like that of a wasp. Hornets can be of different colours depending on the species and habitat.

Aggressiveness

Bee

Bees are generally not aggressive insects, unlike wasps and hornets. They have a lot of work to do collecting nectar and pollen and building honeycombs. They are busy with their work and show aggression if their colony is threatened. Therefore, if you do not come close to the hive, bees are unlikely to show interest in you.

Wasp

The wasp is more prone to aggression than the bee. Firstly, because it’s a predator. It often gets its food by stealing it from bees. The wasp is also attracted to food scraps from humans and other animals. The wasp eats meat. People often encounter wasps in late summer and autumn, when their population reaches its maximum size. Wasps are especially aggressive when someone approaches their nest.

Hornet

Hornets are the largest insects compared to bees and wasps. They feed on bees and wasps and easily defeat them. Hornets are dangerous to humans if they threaten their nest. In normal situations, however, a hornet will not attack a human first.

Nests

Bee

Bees build their nests from beeswax by constructing straight honeycomb cells. In them they raise their young and store food. Honeybees live in tree hollows, hives, and rock crevices. In warm countries they can live in an open nest in a tree.

There are also solitary bees. They settle underground, in holes in old wood. Ground bees live in small earthen burrows and are not easy to spot.

Wasp

Wasps build their nests out of ‘paper’. They chew up tree bark, wet it with their saliva and make a paper pulp. The nest is a spherical shape that is grey in colour. It resembles a small foot football. Often their nests can be found under the roofs of houses, as well as in the ground.

Hornet

A hornet’s nest is similar to a wasp’s nest. But in hornets it is more drop-shaped, tiered with an intricate system of labyrinths in which the larvae are located. To feed these larvae, which are incredibly carnivorous and voracious, hornets need to hunt other insects – flies and mosquitoes, grasshoppers and spiders, locusts and bees.

What they eat

Bees

Bees feed on nectar, which they collect from the flowers of plants and trees. They also feed on pollen, which is important for the larvae because it is a source of protein. By mixing pollen and nectar, they get bee bread. They store it in the cells of the honeycomb and use it to feed their offspring. Bee bread is an important source of protein and energy.

Wasps

Wasps feed on nectar and the juice of fruits and berries. They also eat meat and insects.

Hornets

Hornets prefer to feed on insects. For example, the same wasps and bees. Hornets have very strong jaws with which they gnaw their victims. Their size and strength gives them a significant advantage.

Defence and attack

Bees, wasps and hornets have a weapon – the stinger.

Bees

Bee queens have a smooth stinger, so they can use it repeatedly. Worker bees have jagged stingers. They only use it once and then they die. Stung bees are painful. The degree of pain depends on where the bee stung. The most painful places are where the skin is thin. For example, fingers, toes, face.

Wasps

Wasps have smooth stingers. They do not specifically attack humans, but still sting more often than bees, because they are used to the products that people eat. And because of this, they often circle near where people live. A wasp stings repeatedly and painfully. More painful than a bee.

Hornets

Hornets have barbs on their stingers, but very small, so the insects can use their stinger repeatedly. Hornets are less likely to sting humans because they are less likely to come into contact with them. But they are more aggressive in defending their nest if it is threatened. A hornet sting hurts more than bees and wasps.