Wasp more hostile or dangerous to humans than bees? Who will win the battle? Are people allergic to both? How can you tell them apart?
These are all examples of common questions when comparing the two. Believe it or not, even experts find it difficult to tell a wasp from a bee. Most bees live on the ground like all wasps, so there must be ways to physically distinguish them without getting too close. We will tell you more about their differences below!
Comparison of wasp and bee
| Bee | Wasp | |
|---|---|---|
| The size | 1/2 inch L | 3/4 inch L |
| The emergence | Thick, hairy body, hairy, flat and round legs, round belly and ribcage | Thin smooth body, smooth, round and waxy legs, cylindrical belly and ribcage. |
| Habitat | Hexagonal wax beehives, 90% land species | Paper nests, single species – terrestrial. |
| Group behavior | Most species live alone; bees, bumblebees and stingless bees – eusocial | Only the Vespidae family has social species that live in colonies. |
| Aggressiveness | Aggressive in large colonies, due to weather or the absence of a queen | More aggressive and very territorial, larger and stronger |
| Taxonomy | 7 families worldwide and 4,000 genera with over 20,000 species | 5 families with over 30,000 species |
| Feeding | Pollinators | Predators, parasites, pollinators |
| Sting | Sour; bees die after being bitten; other species may sting multiple times | Basic (alkaline), can sting multiple times |
| Benefits | Honey, wax, pollen, royal jelly, bee venom, pollination | Pollination, pest control, nests have antibiotic properties. |
7 major differences between wasps and bees
Wasp vs bee: size
The biggest difference right away is size. Bees are about half an inch long and wasps are 3/4 inch long.
Wasp vs. Bee: Appearance
There are several unique markers that distinguish two insects of the order Hymenoptera. Both bees and wasps are brightly colored and may even have similar colors, such as black and yellow. They also have 2 pairs of wings. However, bees and wasps are pretty much polar opposites when it comes to their body shape, although some bees look like wasps at first glance. Bees have a thick hairy body, while wasps have a thin and smooth body. Bees have shaggy, flat and round legs instead of smooth, round and waxy legs like wasps. They also have a round belly and rib cage, whereas wasps have a cylindrical shape known as the waist or wasp waist.
Wasp vs Bee: Habitat
Solitary bees live in a burrow in the ground or in the forest, but social and social species such as honey bees and bumblebees create hexagonal wax hives that contain honey. They can build their hives in rock crevices, tree hollows, tree branches, building walls, under the roof of a house, or in attics.
Wasps create paper nests from chewed wood pulp just for reproduction or for their colony. Their nests are found on ledges such as tree branches and under roofs, but land wasps build their nests in dry soil. Social wasps build nests in a wide variety of areas, while solitary wasps can be parasites or predators, but only carnivorous wasps build nests.
Wasp vs. Bee: Aggressiveness
Bees are usually not aggressive. In such cases, this is often due to the fact that they live in a large colony, they lack a queen, or they are annoyed by the weather. Wasps, on the other hand, are more aggressive and known for their territory, as well as larger and stronger. Yellow jackets are aggressive, but paper wasps are calmer.
Wasp vs bee: food habits
Bees are pollinators. Wasps are predators, hunt animals to feed their young or parasitize to lay eggs, but adult wasps are herbivores and visit flowers in search of sugar and also act as pollinators.
Wasp vs Bee: Sting
The bee sting is sour. The honey bee dies after being bitten once because its sting is serrated, but other species of bees and all wasps can sting multiple times. Wasp sting basic (alkaline).
Wasp vs bee: benefits
Bee products are wax, honey, pollen and royal jelly, as well as bee venom. Wax is often used for candles, honey is a common food, and pollen and royal jelly are dietary supplements. Bee venom has anti-inflammatory properties. They pollinate the flowers.
Wasps provide gardeners with pest control. Many species are pollinators, and one wasp species, the fig wasp, pollinates fig trees. Wasp venom has antibiotic and antimicrobial properties, while wasp nests have antibiotic properties and mud wasp nests are rich in the minerals magnesium, zinc, iron and calcium.
Next: Fox vs. Coyote – 5 Key Differences
Wasp vs Bee: 7 Key Differences, FAQs Explained (FAQs)
What is the difference between a wasp and a bee?
Both are in the order Hymenoptera containing bees, wasps, ants, and sawflies. Both are also pollinators and mostly live on land. However, bees are fat and round, and wasps are thin, longer, stronger and more aggressive. Honeybees die with a single bite, while other types of bees and all wasps can bite repeatedly. Their hives are also different; hives are hexagonal and made of wax, while wasp nests are made of paper or dirt. Bees are only pollinators, and wasps are pollinators, as well as parasites or predators.
What is more dangerous than a bee or a wasp?
Most types of bees and all types of wasps can bite over and over again. Although bees are usually calm and wasps are more aggressive, killer bees are very aggressive and easy to provoke. The bite of a tarantula wasp is most painful, followed by a killer hornet. A person who is allergic to a bee or wasp is often also allergic to the other, and both can cause anaphylactic shock.
Wasp sting or bee sting, which is worse?
The wasp sting is deeper and more painful.
Who will win the fight, the bee or the wasp?
Wasp, because it is larger, stronger and more aggressive.