Bee, wasp, hornet, bumblebee - differences

• Bee
• Wasp
• Bumblebee
• Hornet

A bee, a wasp, a hornet, a bumblebee - there are a lot of insects similar to each other. Should any of them be feared? What does a wasp look like, and what does a bee look like? Are hornets very dangerous and how to recognize a bumblebee? Learn to recognize the differences!

Bee, wasp, hornet, bumblebee- although they look similar at first glance, they differ in size, behavior, methods of building a nest or … how much their sting is dangerous to human. It is worth knowing that in the case of each of these insects only females sting.

Contents:

1. Bee
• The look of the bee
• Bee sting
• Behavior of the bee
• Bee's nest

Bee

The appearance of the bee

The bee is the smallest of these insects. The body length of workers (and in the vast majority of cases we deal with them) is about 15 mm. The only exception are queens, reaching up to 25 mm in length.

Bees have their bodies densely covered with hairs (and this is what distinguishes them from a smooth wasp). Their body is stocky, with no obvious narrowing at the waist.

The bee color can be called "fuzzy", brown, red and dark.

Bee sting

The famous American thriller creator Stephen King called bees calm insects, and wasps - madmen. All because the bee only stings when attacked. For this, he uses special hooks located in the sting. Killing him from the human body is associated with a lot of effort for her, which costs her life.

A bee sting is less painful than wasp, bumblebee and hornet stings.

Behavior of the bee

The bee attacks only as a last resort, in self-defense. This is mainly due to the fact that, as mentioned above, the bee's attack on humans is its first and last. After being stung, these insects lose the sting along with a fragment of the abdomen and eventually die.

Bee's nest

Bees, similarly to bumblebees, usually live in hollows near the ground, while breeding bees live in hives. Bee nests are made of wax in the shape of piastres with cells. The depth of one cell is on average 10-13 mm.

Contents:

1. Wasp
• Wasp appearance
• Wasp sting
• Wasp behavior
• Wasp's nest

Wasp

Wasp appearance

The wasp can reach 15-18 mm in length. At first glance, considering its length, it is not easy to distinguish it from a bee. Fortunately, there are other details.

First of all, the wasp's coloration is very clear - yellow and black. They are vivid and distinctive colors, unlike bees, which are more reddish, brownish. Moreover, the wasp's torso is hairless and tapered in the center - hence the talk of "wasp waist".

In turn, also similar to the wasp in terms of length, the bumblebee is much wider than the wasp, it resembles a hairy ball. On the other hand, hornets are much larger than wasps.

Wasp sting

Unlike bees, which do not seek human companionship, wasps are less afraid of us and show aggressiveness even when they do not feel attacked. They don't have to "worry" that this is the last sting in their lives.

A close encounter with a wasp is more painful than with a bee, the wasp easily pulls the sting out of the body and does not inject all the venom at once.

Wasp behavior

Wasps are aggressive and attack for no reason - this behavior makes them similar to hornets, and is different not only from bees, but also from bumblebees, which do not seek to argue with humans.

Wasp's nest

Wasp nests are most often located in trees, hollows and attics. They are made of own-produced pulp, their average size is 20-30 cm.

Contents:

1. Bumblebee
• Bumblebee appearance
• Bumblebee sting
• Behavior of the bumblebee
• Bumblebee nest

Bumblebee

The appearance of the bumblebee

The bumblebee can reach a body length of up to 30 mm. It is densely hairy, more like a bee - it resembles a ball in shape. It also has thicker legs. On the black abdomen, the stripes are predominant in shades of dark yellow, orange and brown.

Bumblebee sting

Bumblebee stings are painful but occur much less frequently than other bee or wasp stings.

Bumblebee venom contains less allergenic substances than, for example, bee venom.

Behavior of the bumblebee

Bumblebees are the gentlest of all four insects. Like bees, they attack only as a last resort, in self-defense.

Bumblebee's nest

Bumblebees can be found most often intree hollows, near the ground. The breeding ones live in hives.

Contents:

1. Hornet
• The appearance of a hornet
• Hornet sting
• Hornet behavior
• Hornet's Nest

Hornet

Hornet appearance

The hornet is the largest of these insects. Its length ranges from 17 mm (workers) to even 35 mm (queen). His abdomen is black with yellow stripes.

Hornet Sting

A hornet sting is the most severe - due to the size of the sting. They can sting several times.

Hornet behavior

Hornets, like wasps, are very aggressive. They can sting for no specific reason, considering the mere presence of a human as a potential threat.

Hornet Nest

The nests of hornets are very easy to recognize. They resemble large paper lumps made of particles of decaying wood and saliva. Their size can reach up to 50 cm. They are most often located in trees, hollows and attics.

	Appearance	Sting	Behavior	Socket
Bee	length: up to 15 mm (queen: even 25 mm) hairy and stocky torso color: reddish, brown, indistinct no waistline	less painful than wasp dies after a human sting	attacks only in emergency if you don't attack her - she is calm	lives in nests, near the ground, breeding bees - in hives
Wasp	length: up to 18 mm has a distinct yellow and black coloration smooth body "wasp waist" - indentation in the torso	sting more painful than by a bee does not die after being stung, so they sting more willingly	attacks for no reason, you need to protect yourself more effectively than against the bee	located in trees, tree hollows and attics
Bumblebee	length: up to 30 mm with its hair it resembles a bee, but it is "thicker" and wider - it's such a hairy ball	stings rarely, but painfully - more painfully than bees and wasps	the bumblebee is a peaceful insect, not aggressive attacks only in emergency	Bumblebee lives in tree hollows, near the ground, bumblebees - in hives
Hornet	length: up to 35 mm clear yellow and black coloration similar to wasp, but much larger than wasp	his sting is the most severe of all four insects has a long sting and can sting several times	the hornet is aggressive, he can sting a person only because he meets him on his way	the hornet's nest resembles large paper lumps, it can be up to 50 cm nests are located in trees, attics, in hollows

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About the authorWeronika RumińskaA graduate of Polish philology with an editorial and publishing specialization at the University of Warsaw. She developed her interests related to the editor's work already during her master's studies, actively cooperating with Poradnikzdrowie.pl on the editorial path and social media. Privately, a lover of good crime fiction and horse riding.

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