What Family Do Bees and Wasps Belong To?

Despite the name, wasps and bees are actually very different creatures. The main difference is their body shape. The wasp is streamlined and has a narrow waist, whereas the bee is fuzzy and has a round body.

Bees and wasps belong to the insect order Hymenoptera. They are categorized into two groups, solitary and social. Social wasps live in colonies and prey upon other insects. Solitary wasps live underground or in nests. The majority of hymenopteran species are solitary.

The female wasp deposits eggs in a nest cell. The larva feeds on food provided in the nest cell. After the larvae hatch, they molt their skin five times. The adults feed on nectar, pollen, or young insects. The queen lays eggs during the spring and overwinters in a protected place. The queen is served by dozens to thousands of offspring. The queen starts a new colony in the spring. The nest will be made of chewed plant material. The nest is paperlike, and consists of several layers of cells. The nest may be vaselike or juglike.

Most solitary wasps build their nests underground or in isolated colonies. The nests consist of chewed plant material and layers of cells. The nests may be attached to twigs or trees. The nest cells are layered with food for the emerging grubs.

The hymenopteran order is second only to the Coleoptera (Beetles) in number of species described. There are 6,000 to 7,000 new species each year.