Ants, Bees & Wasps
Order Hymenoptera
642 speciesOne of the most ecologically important orders, including key pollinators and social insects. Many species exhibit complex social behavior and colony organization.
Species in this Order
Encyrtus Scale Parasite
Encyrtus infelix
A parasitoid wasp that attacks soft scale insects on citrus and ornamental trees. It was among the e...
Ensign Wasp
Evania appendigaster
A parasitoid wasp that targets cockroach egg cases and helps control pest populations....
Erratic Ant
Tapinoma erraticum
A small dark ant common in southern Europe that runs in characteristic erratic zigzag patterns. It n...
European Amazon Ant
Polyergus rufescens
An obligate slave-making ant that raids colonies of Formica ants to steal pupae. The kidnapped worke...
European Banded Ichneumon
Amblyteles armatorius
A striking black and yellow ichneumon wasp that closely resembles a social wasp. It is a common para...
European Beewolf
Philanthus triangulum
A large, striking yellow-and-black solitary wasp that specialises in hunting honeybees. Females para...
European Corn Borer Braconid
Macrocentrus cingulum
A slender parasitoid wasp introduced to North America to control the European corn borer moth. It la...
European Corn Borer Egg Parasitoid
Trichogramma ostriniae
A tiny egg parasitoid wasp native to Asia and introduced to North America for corn borer control. It...
European Corn Borer Parasite
Macrocentrus grandii
A slender braconid wasp introduced to North America to control the European corn borer. It lays poly...
European Fire Ant
Myrmica rubra
A small reddish ant capable of delivering a noticeable sting, common across European meadows. It has...
European Hornet
Vespa crabro
The largest European wasp, with a brown and yellow striped body and reddish-brown head and thorax. D...
European Melittid
Melitta leporina
A medium-sized oligolectic bee that specializes on legume flowers, particularly alfalfa and clovers....
European Oil Bee
Macropis europaea
One of only two Northern Hemisphere bees that collect floral oils instead of nectar as a food provis...
European Orussid Wood Wasp
Orussus unicolor
A small, dark parasitoid wood wasp with a distinctly flattened head and stout build. It lays eggs in...
European Pine Sawfly
Neodiprion sertifer
A common defoliator of pines in Europe and an invasive pest in North America. Larvae feed gregarious...
European Red Wood Ant
Formica rufa
A large mound-building ant found across European forests. Workers are reddish-brown with a darker ab...
European Spider Wasp
Episyron albonotatum
A medium-sized black spider wasp with white markings that hunts orb-weaving spiders across Europe. I...
European Spruce Sawfly
Gilpinia hercyniae
A moderately sized sawfly with dark brown to black coloring and pectinate antennae in males. Larvae ...
European Velvet Ant
Mutilla europaea
A robust wingless wasp with black and orange-red banding and dense velvety hair. Females enter bumbl...
European Wheat Stem Sawfly
Cephus pygmeus
A stem-boring sawfly pest of wheat and other cereals throughout Europe and western Asia. It has also...
European Xiphydriid
Xiphydria longicollis
A slender wood wasp with a notably elongated pronotum giving it a long-necked appearance. The body i...
Executioner Wasp
Polistes carnifex
The largest Neotropical paper wasp, with a sting that produces immediate searing pain and potentiall...
Exploding Ant
Colobopsis explodens
Minor workers can deliberately rupture their own bodies in an act of self-sacrifice, releasing a tox...
Fairy Wasp
Kikiki huna
One of the smallest known insects in the world at just 0.15 millimeters long....
Fairyfly Wasp
Dicopomorpha echmepterygis
The smallest known insect in the world at just 0.139 mm in length. Males are blind, wingless, and sm...
Field Digger Wasp
Mellinus arvensis
A yellow and black wasp that nests in sandy soil and provisions each cell with paralyzed hoverflies....
Fierce Big-Headed Ant
Pheidole fervens
A widespread tropical ant and minor invasive species with clearly dimorphic workers. Majors have dis...
Fig Wasp
Ceratosolen fusciceps
A tiny wasp that pollinates a single species of fig in an obligate mutualism....
Fiji Tree Ant
Paraparatrechina oceanica
A native ant species found in tropical forests of Fiji, where it nests in tree cavities and under ba...
Fire-tailed Cuckoo Wasp
Chrysis viridula
A metallic green cuckoo wasp with a distinctive red-gold abdomen tipped with four small teeth. It pa...
Flat-tailed Leaf-cutter Bee
Megachile mendica
A medium-sized leaf-cutter bee with pale abdominal hair bands. It provisions its nest cells with car...
Florida Carpenter Ant
Camponotus floridanus
A bicolored carpenter ant with a reddish-orange head and thorax and black abdomen. It is the most co...
Florida Twig Ant
Pseudomyrmex ejectus
A small yellowish ant that nests in dead twigs in the canopy of southeastern US forests. It is arbor...
Flower Wasp
Cerceris rybyensis
A solitary wasp that hunts small mining bees to provision its nest. Nests in sandy soil, often in de...
Forelius Ant
Forelius pruinosus
A tiny fast-running ant found across the Americas that is often the first to discover food sources. ...
Four-banded Furrow Bee
Halictus quadricinctus
A large, robust halictid bee with four prominent white hair bands across its dark abdomen. It is one...
Four-spotted Cuckoo Bee
Nomada leucophthalma
A wasp-like cuckoo bee with reddish-brown and yellow markings that parasitizes Andrena mining bees. ...
Four-toothed Mason Wasp
Monobia quadridens
A solitary black and white mason wasp that nests in hollow stems and old carpenter bee tunnels. It p...
Franklin's Bumble Bee
Bombus franklini
The world's most range-restricted bumble bee, found only in a small area between southern Oregon and...
Fringed Leafcutter Bee
Megachile fidelis
A western North American leafcutter bee recognized by the dense fringe of golden hairs on its hind l...
Fulvus Driver Ant
Dorylus fulvus
A predominantly subterranean driver ant species with yellowish-brown coloration. Unlike some congene...
Gall Wasp
Andricus quercuscalicis
A tiny wasp that induces knopper galls on oak acorns, deforming them completely....
Garden Bumblebee
Bombus hortorum
A long-tongued bumblebee with three yellow bands and a white tail. Specializes in deep tubular flowe...
German Yellowjacket
Vespula germanica
A highly adaptable social wasp that has become one of the most widespread invasive insects globally....
Giant Brazilian Ant
Dinoponera australis
A large ponerine ant found in the cerrado and Atlantic Forest regions of southern Brazil, Argentina,...
Giant Bull Ant
Myrmecia brevinoda
Among the largest bull ants in Australia, workers can exceed 30 mm in length. They are solitary fora...
Giant Forest Ant
Dinomyrmex gigas
One of the largest ant species in the world, with workers reaching 20 mm and queens exceeding 30 mm....
Giant Honey Bee
Apis dorsata
The largest honey bee species, building huge exposed single-comb nests on cliff faces and tall build...
Giant Ichneumon Wasp
Dolichomitus imperator
A parasitoid wasp with an ovipositor longer than its body used to drill into wood....
Giant Neotropical Carpenter Bee
Xylocopa frontalis
One of the largest bees in the Americas with a robust black body and yellowish thoracic hair. Female...
Giant Orange Ichneumon
Netelia producta
A large, uniformly orange ichneumon wasp commonly attracted to lights. It parasitizes caterpillars o...
Giant Ponerine Ant
Pachycondyla crassinoda
A very large black predatory ant of African tropical forests with powerful mandibles and a painful s...
Giant Resin Bee
Megachile sculpturalis
A large solitary bee originally from East Asia now invasive in North America and Europe. It uses tre...
Giant Scoliid Wasp
Megascolia procer
One of the largest wasps in the world, reaching over 5 cm in length, found in Southeast Asian forest...
Giant Trap-jaw Ant
Odontomachus hastatus
One of the largest trap-jaw ant species, building arboreal carton nests in tropical forests. Its elo...
Giant Twig Ant
Pseudomyrmex spinicola
One of the largest acacia-ant species, nesting in the massive swollen thorns of Central American bul...
Glyptomorpha Braconid
Glyptomorpha deesae
A small parasitoid wasp that attacks bruchid beetle larvae inside stored legume seeds. It has been s...
Gnamptogenys Ant
Gnamptogenys striatula
A small predatory ectatomminine ant with strongly striate sculpturing covering its body. It hunts in...
Gold Cuckoo Wasp
Chrysis fasciata
A brilliant green and gold metallic cuckoo wasp found across southern Europe. It parasitizes the nes...
Gold-fringed Mason Bee
Osmia aurulenta
A distinctive solitary bee that nests inside empty snail shells on warm hillsides. Females cover the...
Gold-tailed Ruby Wasp
Chrysis fulgida
A dazzling metallic wasp with a bright green head and thorax and a golden-red abdomen. It is a brood...
Golden Carpenter Ant
Camponotus sericeiventris
A striking large ant with dense golden or silvery pubescence covering its gaster, giving it a metall...
Golden Northern Bumble Bee
Bombus fervidus
A large bumble bee with an almost entirely yellow-furred thorax and anterior abdomen. It is a genera...
Golden Orchid Bee
Eufriesea surinamensis
A stunningly beautiful orchid bee with a metallic golden-green body and reddish legs. It is a solita...
Golden Paper Wasp
Polistes fuscatus
A social wasp with highly variable facial markings used for individual recognition. It builds open p...
Golden Pergid Sawfly
Perga gravenhorstii
A large Australian sawfly with distinctive golden-orange coloring and dark wing venation. Larvae are...
Golden Spiny Ant
Polyrhachis ammon
A striking Australian spiny ant with golden pubescence covering a black body. Workers have prominent...
Golden-tailed Bull Ant
Myrmecia chrysogaster
A strikingly coloured bull ant with a distinctive golden-yellow gaster and reddish-brown head and th...
Gooseberry Sawfly
Nematus ribesii
The most destructive insect pest of gooseberry and red currant bushes in Europe. Larvae can strip bu...
Graceful Twig Ant
Tetraponera aethiops
A slender black African twig ant that nests in hollow stems and branches. Workers are elongate with ...
Grain Moth Parasitoid
Pteromalus cerealellae
A small metallic parasitoid wasp that attacks stored-product moth larvae and pupae. It is found in g...
Grain Pteromalid
Anisopteromalus calandrae
A tiny parasitoid of grain weevil and bruchid beetle larvae concealed inside stored cereal grains. I...
Grass Sawfly
Pachynematus clitellatus
A small, inconspicuous greenish sawfly associated with grasses. Larvae are smooth, pale green and fe...
Great Banded Furrow Bee
Halictus scabiosae
One of Europe's largest halictid bees, with prominent white abdominal hair bands. It is a eusocial s...
Great Golden Digger Wasp
Sphex ichneumoneus
A large solitary wasp with a golden-furred thorax and orange-red legs that digs burrows in sandy soi...
Great Yellow Bumblebee
Bombus distinguendus
A large strikingly yellow bumblebee with a band of darker hair. One of the rarest bumblebees in Brit...
Green Alder Sawfly
Monsoma pulveratum
A pale green sawfly that blends well with alder foliage. Larvae are translucent green and feed on th...
Green Carpenter Bee
Xylocopa aerata
A striking carpenter bee with a metallic green or golden-green thorax found only in Australia. It ne...
Green Metallic Bee
Augochloropsis metallica
A large, robustly built metallic green sweat bee common throughout eastern North America. It is a gr...
Green Tree Ant
Oecophylla smaragdina subnitida
An Australian subspecies of the Asian weaver ant with distinctive bright green coloring. Indigenous ...
Green-head Ant
Rhytidoponera metallica
A common Australian ant with an iridescent metallic green or purple sheen on its head and body. It i...
Green-legged Sawfly
Perga dorsalis
An Australian pergid whose larvae feed gregariously on eucalyptus foliage. Heavy defoliation can str...
Greenhouse Whitefly Parasitoid
Encarsia formosa
The most widely used parasitoid wasp in greenhouse biological control worldwide. Parasitized whitefl...
Grey-patched Mining Bee
Andrena nitida
A glossy black bee with patches of grey hair on the thorax. It is one of the earliest spring-flying ...
Gum-Tree Pergid Sawfly
Perga polita
A robust Australian sawfly with a dark, polished body. Its gregarious larvae cluster on eucalyptus b...
Gwynne's Mining Bee
Andrena bicolor
A small, common mining bee with a two-toned appearance: dark brown thorax and orange-brown abdominal...
Gypsy Cuckoo Bumble Bee
Bombus bohemicus
A social parasite that invades colonies of other bumble bees, killing the queen and enslaving the wo...
Gypsy Moth Parasite
Cotesia melanoscela
A small braconid introduced to North America to control the invasive gypsy moth. It attacks early-in...
Hairy Panther Ant
Neoponera obscuricornis
A medium-sized ponerine ant with dense body pubescence and a powerful sting. Workers are solitary pr...
Hairy Wood Ant
Formica lugubris
A large mound-building ant of upland coniferous forests with noticeably hairy body surfaces. It form...
Hairy-footed Flower Bee
Anthophora plumipes
A fast-flying, plump solitary bee with males covered in tawny hair and females jet black. It is one ...
Hairy-legged Mining Bee
Melitta tricincta
A rare and declining bee that is a strict specialist on red bartsia flowers. It has distinctive hair...
Hairy-saddled Colletes
Colletes succinctus
A late-summer plasterer bee that is a specialist on heather, secreting a cellophane-like lining in i...
Harvester Ant
Messor barbarus
A large, polymorphic harvester ant with impressive major workers that have broad heads for seed crus...
Hawaiian Assimulans Yellow-faced Bee
Hylaeus assimulans
A rare endemic bee from the Hawaiian Islands, once found on several islands but now severely reduced...
Hawaiian Big-headed Ant
Pheidole megacephala
An invasive ant now widespread in Hawaii with a disproportionately large head in the soldier caste. ...
Hawaiian Easy Yellow-faced Bee
Hylaeus facilis
An endemic Hawaiian bee found across several of the main Hawaiian islands. It is a generalist pollin...
Hawaiian Yellow-faced Bee
Hylaeus longiceps
An endemic Hawaiian bee with distinctive yellow facial markings, found in dry coastal and lowland ha...
Hazel Sawfly
Croesus septentrionalis
A medium-sized sawfly with an orange abdomen and dark thorax. The bluish-green larvae with black hea...
Heather Mining Bee
Andrena fuscipes
A late-summer specialist bee that collects pollen almost exclusively from heather and bell heather. ...