Hornets and bees are common insects, often leading to questions about their relationship and how to tell them apart. While both are stinging insects, they possess distinct characteristics and ecological roles. Understanding these differences can clarify their place in the natural world and help in identifying them accurately.
A Shared Ancestry
Hornets and bees share a distant evolutionary history, both belonging to the insect order Hymenoptera. This broad classification also includes ants and other wasps, indicating a common ancestor far back in time. However, their paths diverged significantly at the family level, leading to distinct biological groups.
Bees are primarily categorized under the family Apidae, which encompasses a diverse array of species, including honey bees and bumble bees, as well as numerous solitary bees. In contrast, hornets are a specific type of wasp, belonging to the family Vespidae. This family also includes yellowjackets and paper wasps.
Telling Them Apart
Distinguishing between hornets and bees involves observing several key physical and behavioral traits.
Bees, particularly honey bees and bumble bees, typically have stout, rounded bodies covered in dense, fuzzy hairs. Their coloration often includes yellow and black stripes, though some may exhibit metallic green or blue hues. Hornets, conversely, tend to have more slender, sleek bodies with less hair. European hornets are large, displaying brown bodies with yellow or reddish markings, while bald-faced hornets are black with white facial markings.
Their nesting habits also provide clear distinctions. Bees exhibit varied nesting behaviors. Social bees like honey bees construct intricate wax honeycombs within sheltered cavities, such as tree hollows or man-made hives. Bumble bees often prefer abandoned rodent burrows underground, and many solitary bee species create nests in the soil, wood, or hollow plant stems.
Hornets, on the other hand, build characteristic paper-like nests from chewed wood pulp mixed with their saliva. Bald-faced hornets typically create large, egg-shaped aerial nests suspended from trees or building eaves. European hornets frequently choose concealed locations like wall voids, tree cavities, or attics for their irregular nests.
Differences in diet and stinging behavior further differentiate these insects. Bees are herbivorous, relying solely on nectar for carbohydrates and pollen for protein, which they collect and transport in specialized “pollen baskets” on their legs. They are generally docile and sting only when provoked or to defend their nest. Honey bees possess barbed stingers that remain embedded in a victim’s skin, leading to the bee’s demise after a single sting.
Hornets are primarily predatory, feeding on a wide range of other insects, including flies, caterpillars, and even other wasps and bees, which they masticate to feed their larvae. Adult hornets also consume sugary liquids from sources like fruit sap or nectar. Unlike honey bees, hornets have smooth stingers, allowing them to sting multiple times without perishing.
Their Roles in Nature
Both bees and hornets play important, albeit different, roles within ecosystems.
Bees are known as pollinators. They facilitate the reproduction of countless flowering plants, including many agricultural crops, contributing to a significant portion of the world’s food supply. Their foraging activities support plant growth, which in turn provides food and shelter for other wildlife, thereby bolstering biodiversity.
Hornets contribute to ecosystem balance primarily as predators. They help regulate populations of various insects, including common pests that can harm plants and crops. By preying on other insects, hornets assist in maintaining a natural equilibrium within their habitats. While their contribution to pollination is less significant than that of bees, hornets do visit flowers for nectar and can, in turn, aid in pollen transfer.