Bees are in the order Hymenoptera that includes ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies. Bees are further classified in the Epifamily Anthophila which includes miner bees, honey bees, bumblebees, sweat bees, mason bees, leafcutter bees, and more. We have 132 species of bees in Wisconsin. Yes, you read that right!
Bees have most of these characteristics in common:
- Hairy. Bees are usually hairy. But some, like cuckoo bees, are nearly hairless and look a lot like a wasp.
- Sturdy. Most bees look robust, compact, and solid. But some mining bees have narrow “waists” and look more like wasps.
- Winged. Bees have two pairs of wings. The front wings are larger. The forewings and hindwings are hooked together, and they often look like one pair of wings instead of two.
- Equipped with a stinger. Most female bees have a stinger. They sting to defend themselves. When a bee stings, the stinger pulls out of its body, and the bee dies. Some bees have lost their stingers through evolution.
- Herbivores. Adult bees feed on nectar and honey. They feed their larvae pollen and honey.
- Social and solitary. Some bees live in colonies, but most live solitary lives.
Try this quiz to test how well you can identify a bee.
We know what bees look like, right? Caution: This might be harder than you think! Some insects that look like bees are really wasps. Some insects that are wasps look like bees.
Watch out for the tricky wanna-bees! These are unrelated insects that "look" like bees. They do not have stingers, but predators tend to avoid them because they look like insects that do have stingers. They have evolved yellow and black coloration, body shapes, and behaviors designed to fool predators.
Look at the photo and decide if it is a bee or not. Hover over the photo for a moment to reveal the insect's identity. Can you spot the wanna-bees?