ants, bees & wasps library

 

Ants, bees and wasps are all part of the Insect Class and within the Order Hymenoptera. Most ants, bees and wasps have two sets of wings and undergo a complete metamorphoses from egg and larva to adult.

Featured Article:  How Wasps Work

Despite the fact you'll never find anything called "wasp honey," wasps perform a vital service by helping to pollinate the world's plant life -- and eliminate various six- and eight-legged pests. See more »

Are figs really full of baby wasps?

Are figs really full of baby wasps?

If you're snacking on fig bars, make sure to check the nutritional content for wasps. Wasps risk their lives to provide enough figs to satisfy every fruit and cake-related craving.

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Do honeybees hold the secret for faster Web servers?

Do honeybees hold the secret for faster Web servers?

When bees are buzzing busily around a hive, it seems like absolute chaos. But there's a method to the madness: a dance called the waggle. And some scientists are applying the step to create faster Web servers. That's a solution as sweet as honey.

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How Bees Work

How Bees Work

Bees exhibit many traits found in stories and myths -- traits that have led many cultures to view them with reverence or awe. Explore how bees make honey and examine the potential causes and effects of Colony Collapse Disorder.

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How Colony Collapse Disorder Works

How Colony Collapse Disorder Works

Wonder what would happen if everyone you knew disappeared? Don't call the authorities yet. A mysterious condition called Colony Collapse Disorder affects beehives, causing some bee populations to vanish and possibly die.

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How do honeybees make honey?

How do honeybees make honey?

You know you love the taste of it, but do you know exactly how honeybees make honey? And what exactly is honey? Find out how bees make honey here.

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How Wasps Work

How Wasps Work

Despite the fact you'll never find anything called "wasp honey," wasps perform a vital service by helping to pollinate the world's plant life -- and eliminate various six- and eight-legged pests.

See more »
What's the difference between bees and wasps?

What's the difference between bees and wasps?

Wasps and bees are different, yes. But how can we distinguish? Here's a hint: The bee's the one near the flowers. The wasp's the one buzzing around your turkey sandwich.

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Ant

Ant

Ant, a small insect. Ants are noted for the complex societies in which most of them live.

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Bee

Bee

Bee, a flying insect that feeds on pollen and nectar gathered from plant blossoms.

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Ichneumon Fly

Ichneumon Fly

Ichneumon Fly, a parasitic insect. It is a wasp, not a fly, for it has four wings rather than two.

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Sawfly

Sawfly

Sawfly, any of a group of four-winged insects. The name sawfly comes from the shape of the ovipositor (the egg-laying organ of the female).

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Wasp

Wasp

Wasp, a stinging insect related to bees and ants. There are some 20,000 species of wasps.

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