Wasps Vs Bees: Identifying, Differences And Stings

Ouch! Stung again! What was it this time, an angry honey bee or a foul-tempered wasp? The debate about wasps vs bees is an old one. Questions are asked such as: Which one is better for the environment? Which on is more likely to sting you? Which one would dominate the other in battle? Most people do not think much about wasps vs bees until they find themselves in an enclosed space with one of these little winged wonders.

Simply identifying bees as good and identifying wasps as bad is overly simplistic in the wasps vs bees debate. In the public relations department, the bees are winning the wasps vs bees fight; after all, stores do not sell bee traps. Bees have a pretty good reputation overall as industrious little flower pollinators and honey manufacturers. People love identifying bees buzzing around their flower gardens but are not so enthusiastic about identifying wasps buzzing around their barbecue.

Bees are genetically related to wasps and ants and are actually considered a specialized form of wasp. This throws a little curve ball into the wasps vs bees debate. Bees have two sets of wings and a proboscis for drinking nectar. They collect pollen to feed to their larva and most bees live in colonies while some are solitary. Bees are found on every continent except Antarctica.

There is not much debate about wasps vs bees in terms of stinging; they both hurt. Some people are extremely allergic to the poison of a bee sting or wasp sting, and a single sting can put them into anaphylactic shock. There is little difference between the venom of wasps vs bees. The main difference in their sting is a bee can only sting once while a wasp sting can be delivered multiple times. When a bee stings, its stinger pulls out of its body. This eviscerates the bee, which then dies. So in wasps vs bees, wasps win the stinging award.

Identifying wasps is not hard; as most people can pick out a yellow jacket or a hornet. These little terrors of the backyard fly around like an army black hawk helicopter, and if angered will deliver a nasty sting. If judging wasps vs bees for style, one would have to vote for wasps due to their sleek bodies and brilliant coloring.

Adult wasps are primarily nectar drinkers, so in moving from flower to flower they also serve the purpose of pollination. They are not as effective as bees in this function because they do not collect pollen. Some wasp species also eat fruit and carrion; meat bees are wasps of this variety. Wasps in a larval state are parasitic. Adult wasps will lay their eggs in or on the body of another insect and when the eggs hatch, the larva eat the body of the host. This is another crunching blow to the wasps PR in the wasps vs bees debate. Truly, does not the movie Alien come to mind?

Wasps vs bees in a conflict can be dismal for the bees unless the wasps are severely outnumbered. Wasps will attack a bee hive, try to kill the bees, and eat the larvae and the honey. Sometimes they will even inhabit the nest instead of building their own. Wasps vs bees on the battlefield is deadly, as they use their stingers as lethal weapons.

The wasps vs bees debate is better left to mother nature. Humans would be wise to leave both of these insects alone to do their beneficial work.


Sources:
"Bees and Wasps." Greensmiths.com. 7 August 2007. http://greensmiths.com/bees.htm.

"Wasp." Wikipedia. 30 July 2007. Wikipedia.org. 7 August 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasp.

"Bee." Wikipedia. 6 August 2007. Wikipedia.org. 7 August 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee.