Ants, Bees, & Wasps (Order Hymenoptera)

Hymenoptera means “membranous wings.” The third largest group in the class Insecta, this order includes ants, bees, wasps, horntails, and sawflies.

The social ants serve important functions in the ecosystem. Ants aerate and turn the soil, defend plants, pollinate flowers, and disperse seeds. In places where ants exist, they comprise 15-20% of the terrestrial animal biomass. That's a lot of ants.

The complex, cooperative societies of ants enable them to survive and thrive in conditions that would challenge the individual. Here are 10 fascinating facts about ants that just might convince you they're superior to us.

Ants may be the most successful insects on Earth. They've evolved into sophisticated social insects that fill all kinds of unique niches. From thief ants that rob from other colonies to weaver ants that sew homes in the treetops, ants are a diverse insect group. This article will introduce you to all kinds of ants.

Just what makes that little old ant think he can move that rubber tree plant? Everyone knows an ant can't move a rubber tree plant. Or can it?

Are you battling ants in your kitchen? Learn how to make and use homemade ant baits that will get rid of those ants quickly.

If you don't live in fire ant territory, you may wonder what all the fuss is about. And if you do, you may want to learn more about these aggressive pests. Exactly what are fire ants?

Fire ants look and act differently than other ants. Learn to differentiate fire ants from other ants.

You would expect fire ants, which live in underground nests, to drown during sudden floods. Remarkably, they don't. Learn how these tenacious ants survive rising waters.

This home remedy for killing fire ants gets passed around the internet quite a lot. But does it work? Do grits kill fire ants?

Being stung by a bee or wasp is never fun, and for people with bee venom allergies, it can be life-threatening. In most cases, bee stings are entirely avoidable - just don't attract them or put the bees on the defensive. Here's 10 tips to help you avoid bee stings.

Whether we know it or not, we've declared war on our native bees. Habitat destruction, overdevelopment, and shrinking plant diversity all impact native bee populations. At a time when honeybees are disappearing, we need our native pollinators more than ever. If you're a gardener or homeowner, you can make a difference. Here are 12 things...

Though honeybees get all the credit, native pollen bees do the bulk of the pollination chores in many gardens, parks, and forests. Pollen bees are also called solitary bees; unlike the highly social honeybees, nearly all pollen bees live solitary lives. Native pollen bees work more efficiently than honeybees at pollinating flowers. They...

From the Xerces Society, the book Attracting Native Pollinators: Protecting North America's Bees and Butterflies is a guide for those interested in conserving bees, butterflies, and other flower visitors. Here's my review of this resource.

Bumblebees are certainly familiar insects, but there's probably a lot you don't know about these busy bees. Like honey bees, bumblebees of the genus Bombus live socially, with a queen and workers.

The bumblebee queen lives just one year, from fall to fall. During that time, she survives the winter cold on her own, incubates and cares for offspring, and insures that her genetic line continues by making new queens to replace her.

Carpenter bees nest in bare, weathered wood, and often take up residence in porches and decks. While this can be a nuisance, carpenter bees are important pollinators and rarely pose a threat to people.

Carpenter bees are beneficial insects, but they can sometimes be a nuisance to homeowners. These large bees excavate tunnels in lumber, making holes in decks, porches, and other wood structures. Learn when it's time to take action, and how to control carpenter bees effectively.

Ground bees may be a nuisance in the lawn or garden, but they're also an important beneficial insect. Learn to identify ground bees, and how to control ground bee nests.

The honey bee, Apis mellifera, is one of several species of bees that produce honey. Honey bees live in colonies, or hives, of 50,000 bees on average. A honey bee colony consists of a queen, drones, and workers. All play roles in the survival of the community.

No other insect has served the needs of man like the honey bee. Here are 10 facts about honey bees you might not know.

Honey bee mating involves one of the most dramatic examples of sexual suicide in the insect world.

As social insects living in a colony, honey bees must communicate with one another. Honey bees use movement, odor cues, and even food exchanges to share information.

Each member of a honey bee colony has a specific role. All contribute to the survival of the colony. Queen bees lay eggs, drones mate with the queen, and workers take care of the chores.

Honey bees use their stores of energy-rich honey to get them through lean times, including winter. Worker bees gather nectar from flowers and convert it into enough honey to keep the colony alive. How do bees make honey from nectar?

Honey bees remain active during the cold, winter months. It requires a team effort to survive freezing temperatures. Learn how honey bees keep warm in the winter.

Beeswax is one of the most versatile products made by an insect. It's used in everything from varnishes to medicines. Learn how honey bees make beeswax.

Bee propolis may have potential for curing diseases, including some forms of cancer. Learn what bee propolis is and how bees make it.

In the fall of 2006, beekeepers began reporting the disappearances of entire colonies of honeybees. Scientists named this phenomenon Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD. What are the signs and symptoms of Colony Collapse Disorder?

In the fall of 2006, beekeepers in North America began reporting the disappearances of entire colonies of bees, seemingly overnight. In the U.S. alone, thousands of bee colonies were lost to Colony Collapse Disorder. Theories about the causes of Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD, emerged almost as quickly as the bees disappeared. No single cause or definitive answer has yet been identified.

Killer bees, as they've been dubbed by the news media, arrived in the U.S. in 1990. What exactly are killer bees, and how dangerous are they?

How can I tell killer bees apart from normal bees? What do killer bees look like?

Though your chance of being stung by killer bees is fairly small, you should know what to do if you encounter them. Here's what you should (and shouldn't) do if you disturb aggressive bees.

The social wasps of the family Vespidae include paper wasps, yellowjackets, and hornets, all of which will defend their homes vigorously should you disturb them. Worse yet, they have a tendency to build their homes in the places we like to spend our time, so there's a good chance you'll encounter them.

Paper wasps will defend their nest aggressively. When their nests are located in close proximity to people, some control measures may be required. Learn the safest time and method to remove problem paper wasp nests.

Paper wasps, yellowjackets, and hornets all make paper nests, though the size, shape, and location of their nests differ. Paper wasps build umbrella-shaped wasp nests suspended underneath eaves and overhangs. Hornets construct large, football-shaped nests. Yellowjackets make their nests underground. In general, though, the process of constructing all wasp nests is the same.

Which insect inflicts the most painful sting? In the 1980's, Justin Schmidt and his colleagues decided to answer this question. They subjected themselves to the stings of 78 different Hymenopteran species, recording data on the intensity and duration of their pain.

Schmidt created a 5-point pain scale, numbered from 0 to 4. An insect…

Bee researcher Justin Schmidt created a scale to rank the painfulness of different bee, wasp, and ant stings. He and his colleagues endured the stings of 78 different Hymenopteran species, from honey bees to bullet ants. Schmidt used some interesting similes to describe the stings. For example, he described the sting of a paper wasp as the equivalent of "spilling a beaker of hydrochloric acid on …

If you've seen a sawfly, you might not know it. Adult sawflies look like flies, but aren't. Immature sawflies resemble caterpillars, but aren't. So what are sawflies?

Are you sure you're looking at a caterpillar? Sawfly larvae look very similar to caterpillars. There's one easy way to tell them apart - count their legs.

The sawflies, horntails, and wood wasps have traditionally been grouped together in the suborder Symphata, although this classification may change. The symphates include 12 families, described here.

When we speak of social insects, we aren't just referring to insects that live in groups. Entomologists define true social insects, or eusocial insects as they are properly called, by 3 obligate characteristics. Learn what defines an insect as social, and the degrees of sociality, from solitary to eusocial.