Characteristics of common wasps and bees

Template:Short description While observers can easily confuse common wasps and bees at a distance or without close observation, there are many different characteristics of large bees and wasps that can be used to identify them.

Characteristics

Template:Nbsp	Bees (Family: Apidae)		Wasps (Family: Vespidae)
Name	Western honey bee	Bumblebee	Paper wasp	Yellowjacket	Bald-faced hornet	European hornet	Asian hornet
Image	File:Apis mellifera Female on white background.jpg	File:Bombus fraternus, f, ga, baker, side (16429111109) -white background.jpg	File:Polistes dominula MHNT.jpg	File:European wasp white bg.jpg	File:Bald-faced Hornet (Vespidae, Dolichovespula maculata (Linnaeus)) (32512319833) white background.jpg	File:AD2009Aug08 Vespa crabro 01.jpg	File:Fondatrice de Vespa vélutina.png
Colors	Amber to brown translucent alternating with black stripes.Template:Efn Exact pattern and colouration varies depending on strain/breed.	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> white, or as in Bombus pratorum, dark.<ref>Benton, Ted (2006). "Chapter 9: The British Species". Bumblebees. London, UK: HarperCollins Publishers. pp. 338–342. Template:ISBN</ref>	Dusty yellow to dark brown or black	Black and opaque bright yellow stripes	Black and ivory white markings	Black and dark body with yellowTemplate:Efn	Black and orange or yellow markings
Coat	Furry (short hair)	Furry (long hair)	Little or no hair			Some hair
Size	Template:Cvt	Template:Cvt or more	Template:Cvt	Template:Cvt	Up to Template:Cvt	Up to Template:Cvt	Up to Template:Cvt
Legs	Not generally visible while flyingTemplate:Efn		Two thin long legs are visible hanging down during flight. There are no pollen baskets.	Legs not generally visible in flight. There are no pollen baskets.
Behavior	GentleTemplate:Efn	Gentle	Not aggressive	DefensiveTemplate:Efn
Food	Pollen and nectar from flowers		Other insects as larvae, sugary liquids such as nectar as adults	Other insects, overripe fruit, sugary drinks, human food and food waste, meatTemplate:Efn	Other insects as larvae, sugary liquids such as nectar as adults
Sting	Barbed. Kills bee;Template:Efn continues pumping.	Smooth; can repeat. Retracts.
Sting Pain<ref>Unless otherwise noted, sting pains are from The sting of the Wild by Justin O. Schmidt. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2006, pp.226-229</ref>	2	2	1.5–3 depending on species	2 (Vespula pensylvanica)	2	2.x	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Failed verification
Lights	Not attracted to lights at night unless nest is disturbed, or light is placed near hive, or bee is sick.<ref>Bees aren't generally active at night, as their bodies aren't able to withstand colder temperatures as easily as wasps' bodies are.</ref>		Attracted to lights at night<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation					CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Lives in	Large colonies of flat, wax-based honeycomb hanging vertically.	Small cavities in the soil or sometime above ground in dark cavities. Commonly uses small rodent nests, may use bird cavity nests.	Small umbrella-shaped papery combs hanging horizontally in protected spaces such as attics, eaves or soil cavities.	Large paper nest, upside down pear shaped, hanging from branches and eaves; also barns and attics. Some yellowjacket species nest in the ground.		Very large paper nest in hollow trees, sheltered positions. Has a brown, protective layer when the nest is in an unsheltered position. Also found in barns, attics, hollow walls and abandoned bee hives.

See also

• Schmidt sting pain index

Further reading

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External links

• What's Buzzin' in My Garden?
• Differences between wasps and bees poster