Hornets and wasps in comparison

the essentials in brief

• Hornets are larger than wasps and have a brownish red body and a yellow rump.
• All female Hornets and wasps have a sting.
• Hornets feed on other insects, often pests, while wasps feed on plant nectar and thus pollinate flowers.
• Both are therefore clearly to be counted among the beneficial insects.

Easily distinguish between hornets, wasps and bees

hornet, Wasp or bee? With the help of this table, you can quickly determine what exactly is floating around in your garden. In fact, wasps and bees in particular are often mistaken for one another, although they do not have too much resemblance and bees are also much smaller. The hornet - also known as the giant wasp because of its size - is easy for many to believe recognize: Only the queen is up to three centimeters long, while the workers are roughly this way as big as

Hornets are no more aggressive than wasps

Digression

The successful mimicry of the hoverflies

Differences in appearance

"The" honey bee, like "the" wasp or "the" hornet, does not exist. Instead, they are different genera of insects, each of which belongs to a different species.

Among the bees in Germany, the brownish colored Carnica bee, which reaches a size similar to that of wasp workers, is particularly widespread. With some beekeepers in particular, you will also come across so-called Buckfast bees, which are a special breed and whose color tends to be more yellowish.

In their movement, however, bees are more similar to those that appear awkward Bumblebees: They are significantly slower than the predatory hornets and Wasps. You can recognize them by their characteristic body color and shape. The well-known, alarming black-and-yellow stripe coloration has only the wasps, while hornets are brownish-red in the upper area and only the abdomen can look yellowish.

Differences in behavior

While bees are very popular with most people, wasps and hornets are not especially popular - on the contrary, because these animals are often chased away, killed and their nests destroyed. The main reason for this - quite understandable - fear is the bad reputation of both species. Wasps are considered annoying and aggressive, and hornets are even deadly poisonous.

However, this is only partly true, namely when in late summer hungry wasps foraging for food allow themselves to be attracted by sweet and savory human food. Bees and hornets, on the other hand, are not particularly interested in our food, which is why you will rarely find either of them at your dining table. The predatory hornets can't do too much with lemonade and cake. On the other hand, bees will only be attracted to your table if it smells of honey there.

However, none of the species mentioned is really aggressive, on the contrary. In any case, only wasps dare to approach humans, while hornets tend to keep their distance. It only becomes a problem if you irritate the animals, for example because you hit them or come too close to their nest. So keep a respectful distance and watch these fascinating creatures. This way you reduce the risk of an insect bite to almost zero.

Digression

Correct handling of hornets and wasps

Differences in wintering and nest building

In both hornets and wasps, only the queen survives the winter

The insects mentioned make up all states that consist of a queen and hardworking workers and male drones. With regard to the size of the state and the location and structure of the nests, however, wasps, hornets and bees differ considerably.

• Wasps: Only the queen who winters here in the spring Numbness awakens, builds a new nest and creates a new wasp state. The workers and drones only live a few weeks and die in autumn at the latest, while the new young queens look for winter quarters.
• Hornets: Hornets belong to the group of wasps and have a similar system of states as wasps. Here, too, only the queen winters, while workers and drones do not have a very long life.
• Bees: Bees, on the other hand, live completely differently, because both the queen and part of her colony overwinter in the beehive. The animals sit close together in winter and warm each other, and they also feed on the stock of honey that was built up in summer. However, not all bees survive the cold season: As a rule, a large number of them die from exhaustion, cold, malnutrition or disease.

There are further differences in nest building: The wasp species that are common in our country prefer to nest sheltered, dark places, often found in abandoned mole or mouse holes in the earth Find. That is why these species are popularly known as "earth wasps". Hornets, on the other hand, like to look for a nesting place high up in the air, which is why their structures can often be discovered more quickly.

Ecological benefits

Even if some people may find it hard to believe: the main task of wasps is not to annoy people nearby. Instead, the animals prefer sweet and savory foods in late summer because they are starving and have to take care of their brood. From August onwards, only a few plants bloom, a large number of which are also unsuitable for food production. Many crops in our gardens are sterile and produce neither nectar nor pollen or place these in the filled calyxes so that insects cannot reach them and literally starve to death in front of the table. Wasps also feel the same way, as they are diligent collectors of nectar and pollen and thus ensure that the flowers are fertilized.

You can find out in this video that wasps are not only annoying at the summer coffee table outdoors, but also take on important tasks in nature:

The predatory hornets, on the other hand, prey on all kinds of insects that make life difficult for you in the garden. So if you have an insect nest in your garden, you don't have to worry about wasps or mosquitoes. Such a people eat about half a kilogram of insects per day, and carrion is not spurned either.

frequently asked Questions

Are hornets more venomous than wasps?

No, because wasp and hornet poison are chemically very similar. Both poisons are only applied to the skin to a very small extent in the event of a sting, since the sting does not get stuck. In stark contrast to that of the bee, which dies after a sting - but leaves its sting and poison bag in the skin. In this way, more bee venom penetrates the skin, which is why bees are de facto more toxic. However, only around two percent of the population are allergic, i.e. a negligibly small proportion. For everyone else, such a sting - regardless of whether it is from a bee, wasp or hornet - is painful, but harmless.

Why do bees die after a sting, but wasps and hornets don't?

Since the stinger has a barb, the stinger gets stuck in the skin and the bee's abdomen is torn off. The animal dies as a result, but has given its life for its people - by stabbing the attacker. Wasps and hornets, on the other hand, do not have such barbs, which is why their stings do not get stuck and the animals therefore continue to live.