Just because they all have stingers doesn’t mean they’re the same kind of insect
You may use the terms interchangeably, but there are many major differences between hornets vs. bees vs. wasps. Any of these insects may sting when provoked, but these critters vary in their scientific classifications, appearances, and diets. Before you try to handle a swarm of buzzing insects in your yard, follow this handy guide to identify the pest.
| Hornet | Bee | Wasp |
|---|---|---|
| Size: ¾–2 inches | Size: 0.08–1½ inches | Size: ⅓–1 inch |
| Color: Black, white | Color: Brown, yellow, black | Color: Black, yellow, brown, red, white |
| Number of Legs: 6 | Number of Legs: 6 | Number of Legs: 6 |
| Host Preference: Insects | Host Preference: Insects | Host Preference: Insects |
| Habitat: Outdoors | Habitat: Outdoors | Habitat: Outdoors |
| Disease: Do not carry disease | Disease: Do not carry disease | Disease: Do not carry disease |
With several types of hornets and thousands of types of wasps and bee species, telling the difference between hornets vs. bees vs. wasps can be tricky. Some species are bound to resemble one another. But there are some common characteristics to inspect.
Bees and wasps can come in all different shapes and sizes, but bees are usually smaller than wasps, and many types of wasps are smaller than hornets. Bees tend to range from around 0.08 to 1½ inches long. Wasps are around ⅓ to 1 inch long, while hornets may range from ¾ to 2 inches or more.
To tell the difference between hornets and wasps, look at their colors. While wasps may have bright yellow or even red markings, hornets are usually black and white. Bees typically look fuzzy, with hair-like filaments, called plumose, on their bodies. These “hairs” collect pollen when the bee goes into a plant to feed. For the most part, wasps (and hornets) don’t have this feature.
Another key difference is the body shape. Bees tend to be shorter in length but wider, while wasps are typically longer, with a narrow body. Many wasps have a thread-like waist.
Check out how these insects differ in their diets.
To tell the difference between hornets vs. bees vs. wasps, look at what they’re eating. Bees feed on nectar, pollen, and microbes. While wasps do feed on nectar and fruit, especially as adults, they also hunt for other insects to feed their larva. Hornets are known for preying on other insects and may eat plant sap or leaves.
Examine the places these pests hang out, plus how they behave.
In terms of habitat, bees, wasps, and hornets may build hives or nests underground, on structures like your home’s roof or shed, or in trees and other plants. You’ll likely notice some types of bee hives, like a honey bee hive, by the hexagonal patterns, but otherwise, many nests of bees, wasps, and hornets can look similar.
Bees and wasps can be social, meaning they live in colonies, or solitary, meaning they are hunters and do not live in colonies. Wasps tend to get more of a reputation for being aggressive, angrily stinging when you swat them from your plate of barbecued meat. In reality, bees, wasps, and hornets may sting when they feel provoked. If you steer clear of them and their nests, they aren’t likely to sting.
Because wasps and hornets can be particularly aggressive, and can sting multiple times, it’s important to leave wasp extermination to the pros.
While these household pests don’t carry diseases like ticks, their stings can still pose a health risk.
Many bees don’t sting at all, and some bees, like honey bees, can only sting once. Still, this can be dangerous to anyone allergic to bees. Wasps, on the other hand, can and will sting multiple times. Although they don’t tend to sting unless they feel threatened or they are defending their nests, wasp stings can be very painful. Like bee stings, wasp stings can trigger dangerous allergic reactions for some people.
Follow these guidelines for removing hornets, bees, and wasps from your home.
Hornet removal is best handled by a professional wasp control company, as hornets are a type of wasp. These insects can be territorial and aggressive if you get too close to the hornets or their nests. Professional hornet removal can range from $100 to $1,300, but most services cost around $375.
Bees can be helpful to the environment, but if you have a misplaced colony or a swarm of bees that tend to sting the kids as they are outside playing, you may want to consider bee removal. A professional can come and safely remove and relocate the hive. Because bees often live in large colonies with thousands of insects per hive, bee removal costs $75 to $2,000.
If you need to get rid of wasps on your property, hiring an insect control company near you is the safest option. Wasps can be especially defensive if you get near their nests, and most wasps have a pretty painful sting. Wasp removal costs about $375 on average.
No matter which insect you are trying to keep away from your patio, there are some slight differences in how to prevent hornets vs. bees vs. wasps.
To keep hornets away from your home, you’ll want to keep your yard free of trash and clutter. This even means removing rotting fruit from around fruiting trees and keeping garbage bins closed. You can also set up a fake hornet nest near your home to deter these territorial pests.
The biggest difference with bee prevention is that many people actually try to attract bees to their yards, because they are important pollinators. However, if you want to deter bees, you can plant things like thyme, mint, lavender, lemongrass or citronella.
Like hornets, you can hang decoy nests to deter wasps. Because some types of wasps may burrow in the ground or nest in cracks and crevices around your home, you can also deter them by filling holes in the lawn and sealing gaps around the outside of the house. Make sure to keep trash cleaned up and trash or compost bins sealed to avoid attracting wasps.
Generally, the chemicals in hornet venom deliver a more painful sting than wasp stings. But wasps can still pack a punch when they sting, especially if they sting multiple times. One of the most painful insect stings in the world is that of the tarantula hawk. Fortunately, this sting is usually only an issue if you’re a tarantula.
Yellow jackets are a type of wasp in the Vespula and Dolichovespula genera. Hornets are another type of wasp in the Vespa genus. Hornets and yellow jackets are closely related and are both known for being large and aggressive. They are often confused with one another, too. For example, the bald-faced hornet is actually a yellow jacket, and the European hornet, a true hornet, looks much like a yellow jacket.
Wasps tend to be more aggressive and defensive than bees. Both will sting to defend themselves or their colony or nest. But many bees have barbed stingers, which means they can’t pull them out of the skin after stinging, allowing them to sting only once. When provoked, wasps can sting multiple times, making them a more menacing pest.
