Hobbies And Interests
Body appearance
Bees are stouter-bodied insects. The wing-bearing thorax (second body division) is about the same width as the abdomen (last body division). Wasps have narrower waists than bees. They have an easily visible longer, narrow segment, called a petiole, which connects the abdomen to the thorax. Hornets are a kind of wasp and also have the narrow waist. They are usually larger than other social wasps and have wider heads.
Life Habits
Bees fall into three main categories: social bees, which live together in hives or nests; semi-social bees, which are loosely associated together; and solitary bees. Wasps are either solitary or social. Hornets are a kind of social wasp belonging to the genus Vespa.
Pollen Collection Structures
Most bees have some sort of anatomical provision for carrying pollen to their nests, either in leg pollen baskets; abdominal pollen-holders, or scopae; or pollen-carrying body hair. Wasps and hornets lack these.
Hair
Bees usually appear hairy. Hairs are branched rather than straight and aid in pollen collection. Wasps and hornets generally don't appear hairy. If they have hairs, the hairs are straight rather than feathery.
Color
Bees can be almost any color. In many bees, as in bumblebees, color is due to hairs. Some bees have metallic green or blue bodies. Black, gray and tans are the dominant colors. Wasps are generally combinations of earth tones such as browns, blacks and yellows. Highly colored wasps also occur. Hornets generally have darker colors than other social wasps.
Food Habits
Bees are plant-eaters. Adult and larval bees eat mixtures of pollen, nectar and/or plant oils. Wasps are meat-eaters. Adults provide spiders and insects, depending on what kind of wasp they are, to their developing young. Yellowjacket wasps often visit picnic areas to feed on protein-rich foods like hot dogs.
Nests or Hives
Honeybees are the most familiar social bees. They live in colonies constructed of wax cells for brood rearing and honey storage. Meliponine bees, called stingless bees, also produce honey and live in large nests. Semi-social and solitary bees and wasps mostly make burrows in the ground. Social wasps such as yellowjackets, paper wasps and umbrella wasps construct papery nests made of chewed wood and saliva. They can be very large. The University of California at Davis cites yellowjacket nests of 1500-15,000 individual insects depending on the species involved. Some species of yellowjackets also nest in ground cavities. Hornet nests have nursery cells enclosed in a paper case.
Name Confusion
Wasps other than the genus Vespa are sometimes also called hornets. Yellowjackets in particular are often called hornets and their yellow and black coloration resembles that of some hornets. Yellowjackets are smaller and stouter. There is also the bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) which is not technically a hornet.