Characteristics of common wasps and bees

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.

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Characteristics

{| class="wikitable"

! colspan="2" | Bees (Family: Apidae)

! colspan="5" | Wasps (Family: Vespidae)

!Name

! Western honey bee

! Bumblebee

! Paper wasp

! Yellowjacket

! Bald-faced hornet

! European hornet

! Asian hornet

!Image

| align="center" | 100px

! Colors

| Amber to brown translucent alternating with black stripes. Exact pattern and colouration varies depending on strain/breed.

| Yellow with black stripes, sometimes with olive, brown, orange-brown, red, white, or as in Bombus pratorum, dark.

| Dusty yellow to dark brown or black

| Black and opaque bright yellow stripes

| Black and ivory white markings

| Black and dark body with yellow

| Black and orange or yellow markings

! Coat

| Furry (short hair)

| Furry (long hair)

| colspan="3" align="center" | Little or no hair

| colspan="2" | Some hair

! Size

| or more

| Up to

! Legs

| colspan="2" | Not generally visible while flying

| Two thin long legs are visible hanging down during flight. There are no pollen baskets.

| colspan="4" | Legs not generally visible in flight. There are no pollen baskets.

! Behavior

| Gentle

| Not aggressive

| colspan="4" align="center" | Defensive

! Food

| colspan="2" align="center" | 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, meat

| colspan="3" align="center" | Other insects as larvae, sugary liquids such as nectar as adults

! Sting

| Barbed. Kills bee; continues pumping.

| colspan="6" align="center" | Smooth; can repeat. Retracts.

! Sting Pain

| 2

| 1.5–3 depending on species

| 2 (Vespula pensylvanica)

| 2

| 2.x

| 4.0+

! Lights

| colspan="2" | Not attracted to lights at night unless nest is disturbed, or light is placed near hive, or bee is sick.

| colspan="5" align="center" | Attracted to lights at night

! 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.

| colspan="2"| Large paper nest, upside down pear shaped, hanging from branches and eaves; also barns and attics. Some yellowjacket species nest in the ground.

| colspan="2" | 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.

Notes

References

External links

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

Characteristics of common wasps and bees