Bees vs Wasps

You may think that the black and yellow insects that buzz around your head at a picnic on a warm summer’s day are all out to sting you with the slightest provocation. This, however, is not the case. If you can identify the difference between bees and wasps you will decrease your chances of getting stung. The looks and behavior of bees and wasps mark them as completely different entities, even though their coloration is similar.

Body Shape
Bees ‘“ have hairy bodies and legs. Their abdomen and thorax are round and their legs are flat and wide.
Wasps ‘“ have smooth bodies and legs. Their abdomen and thorax are cylindrical and connected with a severely tapering waist. Wasps’ legs are round and waxy.

Feeding Habits
Bees ‘“ are pollinators. They visit flowers to collect pollen and sip on nectar. You will rarely see a bee investigate a human function unless there are flowers in the vicinity.
Wasps ‘“ are predators. They eat other insects such as caterpillars and flies. Occasionally, they may also sip on nectar. Wasps are drawn to the smell of human food, especially sugary beverages and beer.

Habitats
Bees ‘“ create their hives out of wax hexagons. They will build their hives in man-made boxes or in a hollow log or tree trunk.
Wasps ‘“ create their nests out of their own spit and papery pulp. They chew this material and spit it out to create a circular nest. They prefer to build their nests in sheltered places such as under the eaves or deck of your house.

General Behavior
Bees ‘“ will use the venom in their stinger as a last resort to protect themselves and their hives. If you deliberately disturb their hives without calming them first with smoke, you will soon be full of barbed stingers. Because the stinger of a honeybee is barbed, it will stay in your skin after you are stung. The stringer is ripped from the thorax of the bee and this stress eventually causes its death.
Wasps ‘“ being predators, are naturally more aggressive. With very little provocation, sometime only by brushing one away, you may be stung. The stinger of a wasp is smooth and easily comes out of your skin. If you injure a wasp that is near to his nest, he will release pheromones that alert his family, who will then come out and attack you.

Summary:
1.Bees have a chunky, hairy body while the body of a wasp is sleek and smooth.
2.Bees live off of the pollen and nectar of flowers whereas wasps are carnivorous predators.
3.Bees live geometric wax hives and wasps live in papery nests.
4.Bees are not aggressive unless they feel they are in danger but wasps will sometimes attack you if you injure another wasp.