What is the Difference Between Bees, Wasps, and Hornets?

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There are many similarities and differences between our little wing-whipping friends. For starters, all can sting you. That said, you may derive some solace in the fact that when certain of them sting humans, they die- not so when they sting many other animals. The barbed stingers on honey bees particularly end up getting lodged in our soft flesh, ripping out their backsides when they try and get away after stinging you. When they sting most animals, this doesn’t happen.

Sources:

[UrpleSquirrel]

Basically, the less round and fuzzy it is, the more hatred is in its soul.

[joshfontaine]

Bees: Buzz
Wasps: *Drunken buzz*
Hornets: *IT IS GODS JOB TO JUDGE SINNERS, IT IS UP TO ME TO SEND THEM TO HIM*

[TheSimplicated]

Here's a little extra for you all: the sting of a bee is always inherently acidic, while the sting of a wasp is inherently alkaline. Thus, a bee sting can be treated with a water and bicarbonate of soda mix and a wasp sting with vinegar, as the alkaline bicarbonate and the vinegar neutralise the respective stings.

[TheFirstCurse]

I always say it like this:
-Bee: You have to attack it or threaten it in order for it to attack you
-Wasp: You just have to somewhat annoy it to piss it off and trigger an attack
-Hornet: You just have to breath and exist near it in order for it to try and brutally murder you

[joewhosjoe]

Bees - Average - Workers
Wasps - Soldiers
Hornets - *Special Forces*

[SoundWave]

So basically…

Bees: “Hey man, I don’t want trouble.”
Wasps: “Pillage and plunder!”
Hornets: “Execute Order 66.”

[AaronSkone]

A necessary note about wasps that was missing: The species of wasp known as Yellowjackets are unusually aggressive, in the sense that your every day paper wasp will most likely ignore you, while a Yellowjacket will become aggressive and sting with little to know provocation. They are considerably larger than their smaller paper wasp cousins, and can be identified by a large enclosed paper nest with single entrance versus the typical paper wasp umbrella nest.

[mss]

This explains perfectly why I was being attacked by wasps today. All summer long we peacefully coexisted. I usually don't resort to killing them since I can't tell the difference between wasps and bees but today they broke our detente leaving me with no recourse but to deploy the Spectracide. Rest in peace, my little friends.

[meatballg]

Bees: "I will eat this plant."
Wasp: "I will eat this small insect."
Hornet: "I will eat your soul."

[gjtrue]

*BEES:* Leave me be, hooman.

*WASPS:* Don't start nothin', won't be nothin'!

*HORNET:* Omae wa mou shindeiru.

[SourLlama]

I’ve explained this distinction to many people at my food service job as those INFERNAL yellowjackets are notorious for making life difficult in the late summer/early fall. I have a standing “Kill on sight” order for those within my store. We protect the bees but hornets and wasps are murder on sight, no remorse.

[jaredsmith]

I'm imagining an English honeybee screeching, "God save the Queen!" Before the raid of Japanese hornets.

[KN-koez]

To put it in simplistic terms:

Bees: Bros
Wasps: Not bros
Hornets: Not bros

[macrebs]

Bees: Polinate, mind their own business and are fluffy.
Wasps: Bees on meth.
Hornet: Wasp on steroids.

[falseking]

Bumble bees’s wings don’t flap up & down. They flap in a circle which lowers the air pressure around them. This allows them to achieve greater lift.

[RayPoreon]

I think it's worth mentioning that there are flies that masquerade as wasps(hoverflies) which can be distinguished by their flight pattern. There's also tiny wasps which probably look more like flies which are beneficial to humans since they kill more threatening pests, usually ones that prey on our crops like leaf miner. Everone's probably seen hundreds of them and just never realized they were infact wasps.

[corue]

**When a human walks by...**


Bee: I'm busy, let me work.
Wasp: Get any near, or else we'll swarm you.
Hornet: FOR MOTHERLAND!!!

[kami_svn]

*Human* : takes one step
*Hornet* : are you challenging me?

[nrgdrinkenjoyer]

Hormet: "Imma get me some honey!"

*procedes to get moshpitted to death*

[grimreaper]

Part of my job is to water flowers outside. Normally it's fine but this year there is quite a few wasps hanging around. They would fly at me and I would have to walk away at times. However about a week ago a single wasp dove straight into one of my water buckets. After a moment it flew out and went along its way. After that it seems we've developed a mutual agreement. They leave me alone and I leave them alone. I think I'm the only one left who consistently waters the flowers and hasn't been stung.