Difference Between Honey Bees and Yellow Jackets

The key difference between honey bees and yellow jackets is thathoney bees can sting only once while yellow jackets can sting multiple times without losing their life.

Honey bees and yellow jackets are two insect groups of the phylum Arthropoda. Yellow jackets belong to the genusVespulawhile honey bees belong to genusApis. Honey bees are nectar collectors and produce honey. Yellow jackets feed on insects and are beneficial predators.

CONTENTS

1.Overview and Key Difference
2.What are Honey Bees
3.What are Yellow Jackets
4.Similarities Between Honey Bees and Yellow Jackets
5.Side by Side Comparison – Honey Bees vs Yellow Jackets in Tabular Form
6.Summary

What are Honey Bees?

Honey bees are members of the genusApis. They produce and store honey. They also construct a colonial nest from beeswax. Furthermore, these bees are popular nectar collectors. They are participants ofcross pollinationin flowers since they feed onpollen.

Unlike yellow jackets, honey bees are gentle. In general, honey bees do not sting. However, they can sting when they are stepped on or swatted. They die after just one swing. Moreover, they don’t chase for a long distance. They defend the immediate area of the nest.

Who are Yellow Jackets?

Yellow jackets are a kind ofwaspsof the genusVespula. ‘Yellow Jackets’ is just a common name used to refer to these predatory social wasps. They are visible in two colours: black and yellow. In fact, their bodies have yellow and black bands. Their bodies are skinny and shiny as well. These wasps are aggressive insects which always aim to sting. They can sting multiple times without losing their life, unlike honey bees.

Yellow jackets also have the ability to chase threats for a longer distance. They are not beneficial as pollinators. However, they work as beneficial predators of pest insects. They feed on other insects such as caterpillars, spiders, etc.

What are the Similarities Between Honey Bees and Yellow Jackets?

• Honey bees and yellow jackets are two groups of phylum Arthropoda.
• They can sting.
• Both posses colour bands in their bodies.

What is the Difference Between Honey Bees and Yellow Jackets?

Honey Bees vs Yellow Jackets
Honey Beesare the members of the genusApisthat are popular as honey makers.	Yellow Jacketsare a type of wasps that belong to the genusVespula.
Color Pattern
Brown and black banded pattern in the body	Yellow and black banded pattern in the body
Sting
Sting only once	Sting multiple times
Food
Depend on nectar and pollen from flowers	Feed on insects
Behavior
Defend the immediate area of the nest	Can chase people for a long distance
Aggressiveness
Relatively gentle	更激进的
Nesting
Nest mostly in tree trunk cavities	Often nest in underground holes
Appearance
Fatter and appear hairy	Skinny, shiny and no noticeable hairs
Role
Beneficial pollinators	Beneficial pest-insects predators

Summary – Honey Bees vs Yellow Jackets

Honey bees and yellow jackets are two genera of phylum Arthropoda. Honey bees are important as pollinators and produce honey. They do not harm others unless they are stepped or swatted. They sting once and then die. In comparison, yellow jackets are a kind of wasps that feed on insects. Hence they are beneficial predators. They do not die after they sting. They are also able to sting multiple times. This is the difference between honey bees and yellow jackets.

Reference:

1.“All About Yellow Jackets, Bees, Wasps & Hornets | Gardener’s Supply.” Gardeners Supply,Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Honey Bee on Willow Catkin (5419305106)” By Bob Peterson from North Palm Beach, Florida, Planet Earth! – Honey Bee on Willow CatkinUploaded by Jacopo Werther(CC BY-SA 2.0)viaCommons Wikimedia
2. “How To Safely Photograph a Southern Yellowjacket” by Bob Peterson(CC BY 2.0)viaFlickr