Bee vs Wasp: What's the Difference?
Bees have branched, feathery hairs for carrying pollen and feed on nectar and pollen. Their close relatives the wasps are carnivores or omnivores. The bee is domesticated; the wasp is wild.
Quick answers
They differ on 3 of the 8 quick answers: carnivore, domesticated, kept as a pet.
| Question | Bee | Wasp |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Insect | Insect |
| Carnivore? differs | No, herbivore | Omnivore |
| Dangerous? | Can be | Can be |
| Domesticated? differs | Yes | No |
| Awake when? | Daytime | Daytime |
| Hibernates? | No | No |
| Kept as a pet? differs | Sometimes | No |
| Do people eat it? | No | No |
At a glance
| Question | Bee | Wasp |
|---|---|---|
| Found in | Worldwide | Worldwide |
| Habitat differs | Grassland, Forest, Farmland, Towns | Forest, Grassland, Farmland, Towns |
| Size | Tiny | Tiny |
| Length differs | 10–20 mm (western honey bee) | 0.139 mm to 5 cm (Asian giant hornet) |
| Legs | 6 | 6 |
| Covered in | Exoskeleton | Exoskeleton |
| Lives | Alone | Alone |
| Lives for differs | 6 weeks | 1 year |
| Can fly | Yes | Yes |
| Swims | No | No |
| Lays eggs | Yes | Yes |
About each
Bee
Flying insects that feed on nectar and pollen, with over 20,000 species. Honey bees and bumblebees live in colonies, but more than 90% of bee species live alone.
Wasp
Narrow-waisted insects that are neither bees nor ants, with tens of thousands of species. Yellowjackets and hornets live in colonies with a queen, but most wasp species live alone.
Sources
Last reviewed . The answers and notes come from each animal's own page, where every source is listed.
How each answer is decided: How we answer. More look-alikes: Commonly confused animals.