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Stinging
Insects
Wasps
Wasps make up an enormously diverse
array of insects, with some 30,000
identified species. We are most familiar
with those that are wrapped in bright
warning colors—ones that buzz angrily
about in groups and threaten us with
painful stings.
But most wasps are actually solitary, non-
stinging varieties. And all do far more good
for humans by controlling pest insect
populations than harm.
Wasps are distinguishable from bees by
their pointed lower abdomens and the
narrow "waist," called a petiole, that
separates the abdomen from the thorax.
They come in every color imaginable, from
the familiar yellow to brown, metallic blue,
and bright red. Generally, the brighter
colored species are in the Vespidae, or
stinging wasp, family.
All wasps build nests. Whereas bees
secrete a waxy substance to construct
their nests, wasps create their familiar
papery abodes from wood fibers scraped
with their hard mandibles and chewed into
a pulp.
Wasps are divided into two primary
subgroups: social and solitary. Social
wasps account for only about a thousand
species and include formidable colony-
builders, like yellow jackets and hornets.
Some people can experience Anaphylaxis
Shock when stung in severe cases if they
are not treated, it can be fatal.
Bees
Bees are flying insects closely related to
wasps and ants, and are known for their
role in pollination and for producing honey
and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic
lineage within the superfamily Apoidea
presently considered as a clade
Anthophila. There are nearly 20,000 known
species of bees in seven to nine
recognized families, though many are
undescribed and the actual number is
probably higher. They are found on every
continent except Antarctica, in every
habitat on the planet that contains insect-
pollinated flowering plants.
Bees are adapted for feeding on nectar
and pollen, the former primarily as an
energy source and the latter primarily for
protein and other nutrients. Most pollen is
used as food for larvae.
Bees have a long proboscis (a complex
"tongue") that enables them to obtain the
nectar from flowers. They have antennae
almost universally made up of 13
segments in males and 12 in females, as is
typical for the superfamily. Bees all have
two pairs of wings, the hind pair being the
smaller of the two; in a very few species,
one sex or caste has relatively short wings
that make flight difficult or impossible, but
none are wingless.
If you are experiencing a honey bee
problem we will call in a bee keeper to try
to relocate the colony at no extra charge to
you. Honey bees are very important to our
ecosystem and we do not kill them unless
it is absolutely necessary.
Hornets
Hornets are insects that are the largest
wasps. Some species can reach up to 5.5
cm (2.2 in) in length. The true hornets
make up the genus Vespa and are
distinguished from other vespines by the
width of the vertex (part of the head
behind the eyes), which is proportionally
larger in Vespa and by the anteriorly
rounded gasters (the section of the
abdomen behind the wasp waist). The best
known species is the European hornet
(Vespa crabro), about 2–3.5 cm in length,
widely distributed throughout Europe,
Russia, North America and Northeast Asia.
Most species make exposed nests in trees
and shrubs, but some (like Vespa
orientalis) build their nests underground
or in other cavities