Bee or wasp?
How to tell them apart
Bees have branched, feathery hairs for carrying pollen and feed on nectar and pollen. Their close relatives the wasps are carnivores or omnivores.
Quick answers
They differ on 3 of the 8 quick answers: carnivore, domesticated, kept as a pet.
| Question | Bee | Wasp |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Insect | Insect |
| Carnivore? differs | No, herbivore | Omnivore |
| Dangerous? | Can be | Can be |
| Domesticated? differs | Yes | No |
| Awake when? | Daytime | Daytime |
| Hibernates? | No | No |
| Kept as a pet? differs | Sometimes | No |
| Do people eat it? | No | No |
At a glance
| Question | Bee | Wasp |
|---|---|---|
| Found in | Worldwide | Worldwide |
| Habitat differs | Grassland, Forest, Farmland, Towns | Forest, Grassland, Farmland, Towns |
| Size | Tiny | Tiny |
| Length differs | 10–20 mm (western honey bee) | 0.139 mm to 5 cm (Asian giant hornet) |
| Legs | 6 | 6 |
| Covered in | Exoskeleton | Exoskeleton |
| Lives | Alone | Alone |
| Lives for differs | 6 weeks | 1 year |
| Can fly | Yes | Yes |
| Swims | No | No |
| Lays eggs | Yes | Yes |
About each
Bee
Flying insects that feed on nectar and pollen, with over 20,000 species. Honey bees and bumblebees live in colonies, but more than 90% of bee species live alone.
Wasp
Narrow-waisted insects that are neither bees nor ants, with tens of thousands of species. Yellowjackets and hornets live in colonies with a queen, but most wasp species live alone.
Sources
Last reviewed . The answers and notes come from each animal's own page, where every source is listed.
How each answer is decided: How we answer. More look-alikes: Side by side.