To an old -fashioned eye (and above all, we are frightened) bees and wasps seem very similar: yet, if we base ourselves on some details Easy to identify, it is easy to distinguish between these insects. Despite sharing the same colors (brown yellow in stripes), bees have a more body round and “hairy”while the wasps have a narrow vitino, more bright colors And they have no hair. Both are attracted to strong smells, but while bees are grassy, the wasps They also eat meat and fishif they find them available: for this reason they are attracted to our banquets. The stinger of the bees, more serrated than that of the wasps, It gets stuck in our skin and being attached to the digestive system, when it detaches due to the death of the bee. The wasps, on the other hand, with a smoother sting can sting repeatedly. If you meet them, move calmly and do not crush them: Both emit danger to notify your companions of your presence.
Physical aspect of bees and wasps: the differences
In evolutionary biology, “Ape” and “Vespa” are not specific terms: By API we mean a group that includes over 20 thousand species, while the wasps do not even constitute a “natural” group, but a heterogeneous classification which also includes bees and ants, which descend from ancestors similar to wasps. In the common vulgate, however, when it comes to bees we tend to refer to the Apidae family, consisting of 5700 species including the numerous species of social bees, that is, those that live in colonies within Alvear. This family includes The most common and most important bee for agriculture, Apis Mellifera, together with Solitary bees as bombs, wood -leaving bees And excavating bees.
By Vespe means any insect of the Order of Imbreteri who is not a bee or an ant and who has one Vita (the area between chest and abdomen) very narrow: In this case too, commonly we talk about wasps to refer to the members of the Vespidae family, which includes many social wasps (Vespula Germanic And Vespula Vulgaris) And Calabroni (Vespa Cabro And Vespa Orientalis), but also solitary waspslike Vesps Vasaie.
B. Vespula Germanic: tapered body, contrasting and bright colors and absence of hair
So let’s limit ourselves to the most common and relevant species for us – the honey bees and the common vesps that live in hive. Even if these insects they look like size and color (yellow-brown with dark bands), it is easy to distinguish them based on certain characteristics. The body of the bees is more Ptooid and roundedi colors are less livelyand they are covered by hair. The wasps, on the other hand, have a more tapered body“AreOdinamic”, and the classic “Vitino da Vespa“Very tight; their colors are brighter and contrasting, with distinct bands, and are not covered with hair. These morphological differences, common to almost all bees and wasps, are clearly evident in the most common species in Italy.
The bees are herbivorous, the omnivorous wasps
There are also behavioral differences: bees, for example, are herbivorand feed on nectar that process to produce honey and royal jelly. For this reason they are fundamental for agriculture, it is on their work of pollination that the production of most of the crops needed is based.
The wasps instead are omnivorous: as well as sugary meals and other insects, they also gladly feed on meat or fish Found around opportunistic way, which is why they are attracted by our food, which should be covered if they start to go around it. Vesps also pollinate but in a manner less efficientsince they have a smooth and not hairy body like the bees among whose bristles fools the pollen. The wasps don’t do honeyand their presence is in general much less welcome given their more aggressive and intrusive tendencies.
How to avoid being points
There are also behavioral similarities, which can help us avoid being points. It is advisable to avoid wearing bright colors dresses And perfumes with strong smells, since both bees and wasps are attracted to the search for food. If an bee or a vespa starts to buzz around it, it is Important to keep calm and do not make abrupt movementseven if it touches and settles on us, and moved away calmly if possible: the insect will lose interest after a few seconds.
If for bad luck we happen near a hive and notice many insects in a state of agitation, we must get away as soon as possiblecovering our face and eyes, and take refuge in a closed place. Crushing them is not recommended: they could sting at the last second, and both bees and wasps are able to issue Ferormoni to their death that send a signal of danger to their companions by notifying them of your presence.
Why do bees die after pointing there and the wasps don’t?
Even if they know how to make themselves very insistent if they perceive a threat to the hive, Bees more rarely puncture vespswhich instead are more aggressive. With a single puncture, the bees inject much more poison than the wasps (50 micrograms against 10-12 micrograms), but the form of the stinger It allows Vespe to sting several times, and therefore to be more dangerous.
Both bees and wasps have a rear sting with sharp beards, like one serrated bladebut while in the wasps these beards are just present, in the stinger of the bees they are much more pronounced.
This makes the stinger of the bees suitable for penetrating the rigid cuticle of other insects several times without problems, but it makes it remain stuck In elastic skin like ours. After pointing us, the bee cannot get rid of and when he tries to detach himself, since the poison gland is attached to his digestive system, he tears them both, causing his own death. This gave rise to the false myth That the bee “sacrifice” himself to defend the hive: in reality he does not punish us knowing that he dies, but remains stuck as a side effect. The stump stuck Continue to pump poison (and alarm pheromone) until it is removed. Vespers do not have this problem and we human beings can punish at will.
Why are bees and wasps with yellow and black bands? Aposthemical coloring
In addition to having common ancestors, the characteristic livery with yellow and black bands is a Evolutionary adaptation to report their danger to potential predators. It is in fact the so -called aposthematical coloring, Used not only by bees and wasps but also by many other animals: bands or patches of bright and contrasting colors are extremely visible compared to the surrounding environment. Instead of hiding, the animal He puts himself on displaytherefore indicating that it has some type of poison, or that it is toxic to eat.
There is a reason why the so -called Hazard Stripsthe strips used to report a danger of stumbling block or a heavy vehicle, are precisely to yellow and black bands: a combination of colors that is a universal danger of danger.
