Wasp vs Bee: Difference and Comparison

Honeybees are very common insects in our day-to-day life. People come across their hives which they made on the corner of walls and roofs. They are troublesome. 

Honeybees produce honey, and sometimes they do get confused by Wasps. Wasps are although similar kinds of insects, but they are very different. 

Key Takeaways

1. Bees are hairy, collect pollen, and produce honey, while wasps have smooth bodies and are carnivorous.
2. Wasps can sting multiple times without dying, while most bees can only sting once before dying.
3. Bees play a vital role in pollination, while wasps are natural predators that help control insect populations.

Wasp vs Bee

The difference between Bee and Wasp is Bee has wax-producing glands, and they produce honey, whereas the wax-producing glands are absent in Wasps, and they don’t make honey. Bees are human-friendly creatures that die when they sting once, and they sting only when provoked. Wasps are aggressive, and they don’t die when sting. Bees can be found in cavities making hives, whereas Wasps live in a paper-like nest made from wooden pulp.

Wasps are aggressive insects confused with bees. They don’t make honey and live in paper-like nests. They are not friendly insects and are ready to sting.

They don’t die from stinging and thus can sting multiple times. They help humans by eating insects from flowers and crops. They are thin and long in shape.

They have black strips with bright yellow in color. Their legs are hung down when they fly.

Bees are friendly insects which helps human by pollinating crops and flowers. They also collect nectars and pollens from flowers and make honey.

Bees don’t sting unless someone teases them because they die after stinging. Bees can be seen living in hives in cavities or trees or roofs. They are round, fluffy, and hairy insects.

They have black strips with golden and amber in color. Their legs are hidden when they fly.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Wasp	Bee
Body Shape & Nature	They have a thin and cylindrical body shape with little hair or no hair. They are aggressive in nature and are not human-friendly.	They have round body shape with little hair, and they are human-friendly and have passive nature.
Appearance	The color of the wasps is black strips with very yellow in color.	The color of bees is black strips with golden or amber colors.
Nesting	Wasps don’t produce honey so, they have paper-like nests of wood pulp.	Bees produce honey, so they have hives in cavities, in wall corners or hollow trees.
Sting	Wasps can sting any time more than once, and they don’t die after stinging.	Bees only sting when they are provoked as they die after stinging.
Benefits to mankind	Wasps help in pest control. They eat insects in the garden or the crops.	Bees help humans by producing delicious honey. They help in pollinating crops and flowers.

What is Wasp?

Wasps are insects that are not friendly. They are aggressive, and unlike bees, they don’t die after stinging. They are ready to sting and can sting multiple times.

They are long and thin in shape, having black strips with bright yellow. They have smooth and very little or no hairs on them. Their legs are hung down when they are flying.

Wasps help in pest control. They eat insects that feed on crops on the farms, such as flies, crickets, etc. Thus they help in protecting the crops from damage. They don’t produce honey.

They live in the nest, which is paper-like material made from wooden pulp. They live in colonies.

Unlike bees that help in pollinating, wasps are predators. They can be seen in sweets, drinks and can be found more in late summer.

What is Bee?

Bees are that make honey. They have wax-producing glands in them, which helps them in making honey. Bees are round and long in shape and have hairs on them.

They have black strips with golden or amber color on their body, and their pollen baskets are situated on their hind legs.

Bees are capable of stringing, but their stringer is attached to the sac of poison. Thus bees rarely sting because, after that, they die. Bees can be seen on flowers collecting nectars and pollens.

They play a massive role in pollination and help in pollinating crops. At least 80% of crops are grown due to the pollination of these bees. They live in hives in cavities and holes.

Main Differences Between Wasp and Bee

1. Bees are human-friendly insects that sting only when provoked, whereas Wasps are aggressive and are ready to sting.
2. Bees produce honey, and thus, they make large hives in the cavities, whereas Wasps do not have wax-producing glands, and they have nest-like paper made of wood pulp.
3. Honey bees have fat and round body shape with little hairs and black strips of golden or amber color, whereas Waps have smooth thin bodies with no hairs and have black strips of yellow color.
4. Bees help in pollinating crops and flowers and are thus a great help to humankind, whereas Wasps help in pest control. They eat insects in the garden and on the crops.
5. Bees can be seen around flowers for collecting pollen and nectar from which they will make honey, whereas Wasps can be seen around sweet food and drinks in the park.

References

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc1305553/
2. https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1365-2664.1998.355343.x

Last Updated : 30 July, 2023