What's the Difference Between Hornets and Wasps?

We often use the terms 'wasp' and 'hornet' interchangeably, but that's not quite right, and knowing the difference can save you a sting. Learn about these insects in today's episode of BrainStuff.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey
brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum. Here, many of us use the
words hornet and wasp interchangeably, but that's a vast over
generalization that doesn't disservice to these winged creatures. Understanding the
differences between hornets and wasps might help you make better
pest control decisions, prevent you from killing beneficial species, and

(00:25):
of course, might keep you from getting a painful sting.
Here's the biggest thing to know. All hornets are wasps,
but not all wasps are hornets. We spoke via email
with Jason Gibbs, Assistant professor of anomalogy at the University
of Manitoba. He said, hornets are just a kind of wasp.
Wasp is a very broad term that covers many different

(00:47):
species with different lifestyles. There are indeed more than one
hundred thousand species of wasp on Earth, each, a testament
to the startling diversity in these winged bugs. They're found
in every part of the world, excep up for polar areas.
It's usually easy to identify them, as they most often
have black and yellow stripes, a well defined and narrow waist,

(01:08):
and a tapered abdomen. Hornets are generally a little chubbier
and larger than there spelt wasp brethren, and some species
have white and black markings instead of yellow and black.
Their increased size means they also carry a substantial load
of venom, so in some cases these insects are more
dangerous than other kinds of wasps. Fortunately, if you leave

(01:30):
hornets and wasps alone, they generally want nothing to do
with you either. Wasps and hornets cho upwood fragments and
use the resulting pulp to build their signature papery nests.
You'll find these nests, which have a honeycomb style segmentation
on many horizontal surfaces, including roof eaves, garage ceilings, and
other places, dangling from a single thin thread. Some hornets,

(01:53):
like the giant European hornet, may also burrow into the
ground to build nests. Their nests may be as large
as a foot in diameter. Wasps, like bees, are incredibly
important pollinators, helping to keep plant life and agricultural crops healthy.
They tend to chow down on caterpillars and harmful flies, too,
making them beneficial to humans. That's one reason some places

(02:16):
like Germany banned people from disturbing these creatures. Wasps also
exhibit a voracious affinity for sugary foods and drinks, and
as such, they often make themselves unwelcome guests at outdoor
gatherings like picnics or sporting events. Furthermore, they also love
the sweet deliciousness of rotting partially fermented fruit that falls
to the ground. In autumn, they'll gorge themselves to the

(02:38):
point that they'll become drunkenly aggressive, sometimes chasing pets or
people if they feel annoyed or threatened. As their natural
food sources continue to dwindle in the fall, these insects
may become even bolder, one reason you should limit easy
access to human foods that keeps you and the wasps
safe from harm. While hornets may eat fruit or picnic food,

(03:00):
they're much more likely to feed on insects like crickets
and grasshoppers. Wasps are broadly divided into two categories, social
and solitary species. Social species include paper wasps, yellow jackets,
and yes hornets, but most wasp species are regarded as solitary.
Females live alone and reproduce using some notable techniques, including

(03:23):
laying eggs on other creatures like spiders, which they paralyze
and hold hostage in their own nests, eventually killing the hosts,
which then serve as food for wasp larva. Social species,
on the other hand, live in large colonies and populations,
often exceeding a hundred members with an egg laying queen,
as well as workers that do not reproduce, which is
called a use social nest. Gibbs said wasps and bees

(03:48):
have evolved social behavior more often than any other group
of animal, and interestingly, have lost it many times too.
This behavior has also been recognized in sweat bees Gibbs
area of Bertise. He said sweat bees are particularly interesting
for studies of social evolution because there are so many
back and forths in the evolutionary tree. In fact, you

(04:10):
can have use social and solitary nests within the same species.
It's incredibly complex and interesting and wonderfully all of this
is going on under our noses. Yellow jackets are yet
another type of social wasps. They're smaller and build ground
nests that may feature hundreds of individuals. Some people mistake
these pint size wasps, which have bodies around half an

(04:31):
inch long for bees As their ground nests expand, the
soil becomes looser and creeds sinkhole. If you're unlucky enough
to step into one of these sinkholes, you may find
yourself at the mercy of hundreds of angry yellow jackets.
But solitary wasps rarely sting. That's true, even if you
disturb their nests, they don't attempt to defend them. Social

(04:52):
wasps and hornets, on the other hand, can be extremely
aggressive if you threaten their lives or their nests. Often
they'll swarm intruders and deliver multiple stings. Squatting at wasps
is shall we say a bad idea. Doing so triggers
the insect to release pheromones, alerting other wasps to a
threat you and that it's time to attack. Even one

(05:13):
wasp sting can be very painful. Multiple stings might cause
serious harm, particularly to anyone who's allergic to the venom,
and in worst case scenarios, wasps might sting dozens or
hundreds of times and act that can kill even strong,
healthy people who aren't allergic to the venom. The best
strategy is to keep food covered outside, particularly sugary drinks,

(05:34):
so that you don't attract wasps. If one wasp flies
near you, remain calm, it will probably just fly off.
If a swarm comes near you, run away in a
straight line without waving your arms. Today's episode were written
by Nathan Chandler and produced by Tyler Claying. Brain Stuff

(05:55):
is a production of I Heeart Radio's How Stuff Works.
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