Characteristics of common wasps and bees

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While easily confused at a distance or without close observation, there are many different characteristics of bees and wasps which can be used to identify them.

	Bees		Wasps (Family: Vespidae)
	Honeybee	Bumblebee	Yellowjacket	Paper Wasp	Bald-faced hornet	Hornet (European hornet)

Colors	amber to brown translucent alternating with black stripes <ref>that is in general. Some are mostly black</ref>video.	yellow with black stripes, sometimes with red tail, to dark video.	black and opaque bright yellow stripes video.	dusty yellow to dark brown or black video.	black and ivory white markings video.	black and dark body with yellow <ref>there are different geographic colour forms</ref> video.
Coat	furry (short hair)	furry (long hair)	little or no hair			some hair
Size	1.3 cm (½ inch)	2.5 cm (1 inch)<ref>or more</ref>	1.3 cm (½ inch)	1.9–2.5 cm (¾ to 1 inch)	up to 1.9 cm (¾ inch)	up to 3.5 cm (1½ inch)
Legs	not generally visible while flying<ref>When walking, light-colored pollen on the pollen baskets on a honeybee's rear legs can be visible.</ref>		two long legs are visible hanging down during flight. no pollen baskets
Behavior	gentle<ref>Domesticated bees have been selected over time for gentleness. There are several races of domesticated honeybees with varying characteristics of honey production, disease resistance and gentleness.</ref><ref name=hive>Aggressive hive defense</ref>	gentle<ref name=hive>aggressive hive defense</ref>	aggressive<ref name=hive>aggressive hive defense</ref>	gentle<ref name=hive>aggressive hive defense</ref>	aggressive<ref name=hive>aggressive hive defense</ref>	gentle<ref name=hornet>Other hornet species (those not European hornet) have a more toxic sting, and be more aggressive^{[citation needed]}.</ref><ref name=hive>aggressive hive defense</ref>
Food	nectar from flowers		other insects, overripe fruit, sugary drinks, human food / food waste, meat<ref>Yellowjackets are carnivorous during the brood rearing part of the season. They feed insects to their brood, and obtain the sugar for their flight-muscle energy mostly from secretions of the brood. During this time they can be attracted to traps baited with meat or fish. Near the end of summer, when brood rearing ceases and this sugar source is no longer available, yellowjackets become frantic for sugar, and can be baited with sugar-based baits. They are also much more likely to visit fall flowers for nectar, than they are earlier in the season.</ref>	other insects
Sting	kills bee<ref>Since the barbed stinger evolved for combat with other bees, the invariable outcome of stinging a mammal or bird is that the stinger becomes lodged in the victim's skin and tears free from the honeybee's body, leading to her death within minutes. As such, there is rarely any evolutionary advantage for a bee to sting a mammal to defend itself; honeybees will generally only sting when the hive is directly threatened, whereas honeybees found in the field or on a flower will rarely sting. Note: Africanized honeybees can be more aggressive than the more common European honeybees, but still only defend the hive, and their sting is the same.^{[citation needed]}</ref>, continues pumping (barbed)	retracts, can repeat (smooth)
Sting Pain	2.x		2.0	3.0	2.0	2.x<ref name=hornet>other hornet species (those not European hornet) have a more toxic sting, and be more aggressive^{[citation needed]}.</ref>
Lights	not attracted to lights at night<ref>unless nest is disturbed</ref>					attracted to lights at night
Lives in	large colonies of flat wax-based honeycomb hanging vertically	small cavities in the soil	small umbrella-shaped papery combs hanging horizontally in protected spaces such as attics, eaves or soil cavities		large paper nest, upside down pear shaped, hanging from branches / eaves<ref>Also barns, attics</ref>	very large paper nest in hollow trees, sheltered positions<ref>Has a brown protective layer when the nest is in an unsheltered position. Also barns, attics, hollow walls, abandoned bee hives</ref>