When we see a wasp or a bee flying towards us and we get nervous, they can seem almost the same in appearance. Nothing could be further from the truth, wasps and bees are very different insects both in terms of their morphology and their diet and behaviour.
In this article on our site we are going to show you all the differences between wasps and bees, starting with their physical appearance, going through its food and habitat, and ending with its bite. Keep reading and get informed to learn how to identify them.
Morphological differences between bees and wasps
Although there are several varieties of both bees and wasps, there are common characteristics for each species.
The wasps are black or dark brown and yellow, and depending on the variety they can be almost completely dark, as in the case of the Asian hornet. The bees instead are more or less dark brown and golden, not bright yellow.
Wasps have their characteristic “waist”, a very narrow area that separates the thorax from the abdomen. While in the case of bees the narrowing is not so noticeable. In addition, the bee has a hairy appearance, as it has keratin hairs on the thorax, face, abdomen and legs, while the wasp does not.
On a microscopic and functional level, the sting of bees and wasps is not the same, the most notable being the fact that that bees can only sting once and after that they die, since their stinger has spikes that cause the abdomen to tear when trying to remove it. The sting of wasps, which is part of their reproductive system, is smooth and therefore a wasp can sting repeatedly without risking its own life. As a curious fact, you should know that there are also wasps without wings.
Differences in diet between bees and wasps
Due to their differences in terms of feeding, the wasp always has powerful jaws with which to devour its prey, while what is characteristic in the case of the bee is its proboscis or trunk to sip nectar from the flowers.
Bees feed on nectar, except for the queen bee who consumes the so-called royal jelly. Be that as it may, bees are highly specialized herbivores throughout their lives. On the other hand, wasps are carnivorous and generally parasitic during their larval stage, before also feeding on plant material in their adult stage.
There are wasps that only live on nectar during their adult insect stage, although most wasps are omnivores that consume so much material vegetable as carrion. There are even wasps that attack hives to steal nectar and honey and feed on bee larvae.
The role of bees and wasps in the ecosystems they inhabit
Bees are nature's most effective pollinators. Despite this, there are plant species that have linked their evolution to that of other pollinators, as is the case of some kinds of wasps or certain breeds of hummingbirds. Therefore, wasps are responsible for carrying out the pollination of very specific plant species.
On the other hand, the main function of the wasp in the ecosystems it inhabits is that of hunting other insects, both to deposit in they their eggs as to feed the larvae or even adults. However, wasps are sometimes introduced into crops to act as natural pest controller, similar to ladybugs and aphids.
Difference between honeycomb bees and wasps
There are solitary wasps and social wasps, while all races of bees are social or semi-social. The social wasps live in swarms built by kneading mud, just as they do with the inner combs. The combs of bee hives are always made of wax.
In the image you can see a honeycomb.
And here we can see what a wasp swarm is like.
Differences in reproduction between wasps and bees
In the case of bees only the queen bee is capable of laying eggs, she is the only fertile female in the colony. When wasps live in society something similar usually happens, although this is not always the case. In the case of solitary wasps, all females are fertile.
Bee larvae feed on nectar while wasp larvae are carnivorous. In fact, the wasp larva's first meal is usually the very insect on which the mother wasp laid her eggs through her stinger.
Other differences between bees and wasps
In wasps, the sting only occurs in females, as it has a reproductive function. Through the sting, the fertile wasps lay the eggs of future larvae, and the fact that the conduit serves to inject poison into their prey is not always true. Wasps can sting their prey repeatedly.
In bees, the stinger has a defensive function and, therefore, is always associated with the inoculation of poison. In general, bees are peaceful insects that only attack if they feel threatened as individuals or as a group, while wasps are usually aggressive insects. If this is the case and you have been stung by one, do not miss our article in which we detail what to do when stung by a wasp.
