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
Saxon Wasp
Dolichovespula saxonica
A social wasp that builds distinctive grey football-shaped nests in trees and bushes. It is generall...
Scarlet Pergid Sawfly
Pergagrapta polita
A brightly colored Australian sawfly with a polished dark body and reddish highlights. Larvae feed o...
Scarlet-Bodied Pergid Sawfly
Perga kirbyi
A large, robustly built Australian sawfly with a bright scarlet to red-orange abdomen and dark head ...
Schaufuss's Rover Ant
Tetramorium schaufussii
A small ant with coarsely sculptured integument and short propodeal spines. It belongs to a species ...
Schizonotus Chalcid
Schizonotus sieboldi
A parasitoid of mason bee larvae found across temperate Asia. It enters the sealed mud nests of Osmi...
Severini's Rover Ant
Tetramorium severini
A small leaf-litter ant with a finely striate head and propodeal spines of moderate length. It belon...
Sharp-tailed Bee
Coelioxys conoidea
A cleptoparasitic bee with a sharply pointed abdomen used to pierce the cell walls of leafcutter bee...
Short-tailed Ichneumon
Ophion luteus
A nocturnal parasitoid wasp with a strongly compressed, amber-orange body. It is commonly attracted ...
Silver Birch Web-Spinning Sawfly
Pamphilius sylvaticus
A flat-bodied sawfly with long filiform antennae and a broad head. Larvae roll or fold birch leaves ...
Silvery Leafcutter Bee
Megachile leachella
A coastal specialist bee with silvery-white hair on the underside of the abdomen. It nests in sandy ...
Sirex Woodwasp
Sirex noctilio
A large blue-black woodwasp that bores into pine trees to lay eggs. It injects a symbiotic fungus in...
Slave-Maker Ant
Temnothorax americanus
A tiny North American slave-making ant that raids colonies of closely related Temnothorax species. W...
Slave-Making Ant
Formica sanguinea
A facultative slave-making ant that raids colonies of other Formica species to steal pupae. The stol...
Slender Ant
Myrmica scabrinodis
A medium-sized red-brown ant with coarsely sculptured cuticle, common in grasslands across Europe. C...
Small Carpenter Bee
Ceratina calcarata
A tiny metallic blue-green bee that nests in the pithy stems of broken twigs. It is one of the few b...
Small Scissor Bee
Chelostoma florisomne
A slender black solitary bee that nests in beetle borings in dead wood. It is a specialist pollinato...
Smeathman's Furrow Bee
Lasioglossum smeathmanellum
One of the smallest bees in the world, this tiny metallic species nests in old mortar joints and ear...
Smelly Carpenter Ant
Dolichoderus thoracicus
A Southeast Asian dolichoderine ant that tends mealybugs inside shelters built from chewed plant mat...
Snapping Amblyopone
Stigmatomma oregonense
A pale, blind subterranean ant of western North American forests that hunts centipedes and other soi...
Social Pear Sawfly
Neurotoma saltuum
A broad-bodied sawfly with long antennae whose larvae spin communal webs on pear and other fruit tre...
Solomon's Seal Sawfly
Phymatocera aterrima
A small, entirely black sawfly whose grayish-white larvae with black heads are highly destructive to...
Sonoran Honeypot Ant
Myrmecocystus navajo
A honeypot ant species native to the high deserts of the Colorado Plateau. Repletes store amber-colo...
South African Argid Sawfly
Arge capensis
A medium-sized dark sawfly found in the fynbos and bushveld regions of South Africa. Adults have rob...
South American Cuckoo Bee
Exaerete frontalis
A large metallic blue-green cleptoparasitic orchid bee that lays its eggs in the nests of other orch...
South American Eucalyptus Sawfly
Lophyrotoma zonalis
A dark-bodied pergid sawfly that has become a significant pest of eucalyptus plantations in South Am...
South American Fire Ant
Solenopsis saevissima
An aggressive reddish-brown fire ant native to South America with a painful venomous sting. Colonies...
South American Giant Hornet
Apoica pallens
A large nocturnal social wasp that builds exposed paper nests under tree branches. Unlike most wasps...
South American Grain Stem Sawfly
Cephus fumipennis
A slender black stem sawfly with smoky wings and yellow abdominal bands. It attacks cereal grain ste...
South American Leafcutter Ant
Atta sexdens
One of the most widespread leafcutter ant species in South America, recognized by the three pairs of...
South American Velvet Ant
Traumatomutilla indica
A large tropical velvet ant with striking black and orange patterns. Despite its species name, it is...
South American Wattle Sawfly
Arge pullata
A shiny black argid sawfly that feeds on wattle (Acacia) trees. Larvae are green with dark dorsal ma...
Southeast Asian Stingless Bee
Heterotrigona itama
A popular managed stingless bee in Malaysia and Indonesia valued for its medicinal honey. They const...
Southeastern Blueberry Bee
Habropoda laboriosa
A fuzzy native bee that is the most efficient pollinator of blueberry flowers in North America. It u...
Soybean Aphid Parasite
Binodoxys communis
A tiny Asian braconid wasp studied as a biocontrol candidate for the invasive soybean aphid in North...
Spalangia Fly Parasite
Spalangia cameroni
A small dark wasp that parasitizes fly pupae in manure and decaying organic matter. It is commercial...
Spangle Gall Wasp
Neuroterus quercusbaccarum
A tiny gall wasp that produces flat, disc-shaped spangle galls on the undersides of oak leaves. It a...
Spider Wasp
Cryptocheilus bicolor
A large orange and black wasp that hunts huntsman spiders for its larvae....
Spider-hunting Wasp
Anoplius nigerrimus
A large all-black spider-hunting wasp that drags paralyzed wolf spiders back to its burrow....
Spine-waisted Ant
Aphaenogaster tennesseensis
A slender reddish-brown ant common in eastern North American deciduous forests. It is an important s...
Spined Sweat Bee
Agapostemon splendens
A brilliantly iridescent green sweat bee with bluish reflections found in the eastern United States....
Spiny Ant
Polyrhachis dives
A distinctive Asian ant with paired spines on the petiole and propodeum. Workers are metallic dark b...
Spotted Xiphydriid Wood Wasp
Xiphydria camelus
A slender wood wasp with a distinctively elongated neck-like pronotum and white spots on a dark body...
Spotted-eye Hover Fly
Eristalinus taeniops
A large hover fly with distinctively striped compound eyes and a bee-like body. It is an excellent p...
Spruce Budworm Parasite
Meteorus trachynotus
A small brown braconid wasp that is a key natural enemy of the spruce budworm in North American bore...
Squash Bee
Peponapis pruinosa
A solitary ground-nesting bee that specializes exclusively in pollinating squash, pumpkin, and gourd...
Sri Lankan Relict Ant
Aneuretus simoni
The sole surviving member of its entire subfamily, known only from a few localities in Sri Lanka's r...
Steel-blue Cricket Hunter
Chlorion aerarium
A large metallic blue wasp that hunts field crickets and mole crickets. It drags paralyzed prey into...
Steel-blue Woodwasp
Sirex cyaneus
A metallic blue woodwasp native to Europe that breeds in fir and spruce. It is closely related to th...
Steelblue Ichneumon
Lissopimpla excelsa
A metallic blue-black ichneumon wasp native to Australia. It is an important parasitoid of pest cate...
Stripe-Backed Leafcutter Ant
Acromyrmex striatus
A small leafcutter ant adapted to the grasslands and dry regions of southern South America. Unlike m...
Striped Alder Sawfly
Hemichroa crocea
A brightly colored sawfly with an orange body and black markings on the thorax. Larvae are pale yell...
Sugar Ant
Camponotus consobrinus
A common Australian ant with an orange-brown thorax and black head and abdomen. It is mainly nocturn...
Sugarbag Bee
Tetragonula carbonaria
A tiny Australian stingless bee commonly kept in backyard hives for pollination and honey. They buil...
Sugarcane Borer Egg Parasitoid
Trichogramma galloi
A tiny egg parasitoid extensively used in Brazilian sugarcane fields. It is highly effective against...
Sulawesi Honey Bee
Apis nigrocincta
A cavity-nesting honey bee endemic to Sulawesi and nearby islands. It was only recognized as a disti...
Sunda Colugo Fly
Megischus bicolor
A parasitoid wasp with a slender body, extremely long ovipositor, and distinctively bicolored black ...
Swaine Jack Pine Sawfly
Neodiprion swainei
A pine sawfly with strongly pectinate male antennae and sawfly females that are stouter and paler. L...
Swarm-Founding Wasp
Polybia paulista
A small dark social wasp that builds enclosed paper nests containing thousands of individuals. It is...
Sweat Bee
Halictus ligatus
A small, dark metallic bee that is attracted to human perspiration for its salt content. It exhibits...
Sweat Bee of the Desert
Lasioglossum titusi
A small metallic green bee found in arid regions of western North America. It nests communally in sa...
Swollen-thorn Acacia Ant
Pseudomyrmex peperi
An obligate acacia-ant mutualist that nests exclusively within the hollow thorns of Vachellia trees....
Tarantula Hawk
Pepsis grossa
A giant wasp that hunts tarantulas. The female paralyzes a tarantula with her sting, drags it to a b...
Tawny Crazy Ant
Nylanderia fulva
A small reddish-brown ant that forms enormous supercolonies and is displacing fire ants in the south...
Tawny Mining Bee
Andrena fulva
A solitary bee covered in dense bright orange-brown fur that gives it a foxy appearance. Females exc...
Teddy Bear Bee
Amegilla bombiformis
A plump, densely furred native Australian bee that closely resembles a bumblebee. Despite its cuddly...
Texas Leafcutter Ant
Atta texana
The northernmost leafcutter ant species, found in the southern United States. Nests can extend 6 met...
Texas Striped Sweat Bee
Agapostemon texanus
A widespread metallic green sweat bee found across much of North America. Males have distinctive bla...
Thatching Ant
Formica obscuripes
A mound-building ant of western North America that constructs large thatched nests from plant debris...
Thief Ant
Solenopsis molesta
One of the smallest ant species in North America, nesting near larger ant colonies to steal food and...
Thistle Gall Wasp
Isocolus scabiosae
A minute gall-inducing wasp that forms swellings on knapweed flower heads. It has been studied as a ...
Thistledown Velvet Ant
Dasymutilla gloriosa
A strikingly beautiful velvet ant covered in long white hair that resembles a piece of thistledown b...
Thread-waisted Wasp
Ammophila sabulosa
An elegant wasp with an extremely narrow petiole and red-banded abdomen. It hunts caterpillars and c...
Tinkerbell Fairyfly
Tinkerbella nana
One of the smallest insects ever described, named after Peter Pans Tinker Bell. Discovered in Costa ...
Tiny Dark Sweat Bee
Lasioglossum villosulum
A tiny, inconspicuous furrow bee widespread across the Palearctic region. Despite its small size, it...
Tobacco Caterpillar Braconid
Microplitis demolitor
A small endoparasitoid wasp that injects polydnavirus along with its eggs into caterpillar hosts. It...
Tormus Bee
Perdita minima
The smallest known bee in the world at under 2 mm in length. It is a solitary ground-nesting species...
Trachymyrmex Fungus-growing Ant
Trachymyrmex septentrionalis
A small fungus-growing ant of eastern North America related to leafcutters. It collects dead plant m...
Trap-Jaw Ant
Odontomachus bauri
Has the fastest-closing jaws in the animal kingdom — mandibles snap shut at 64 m/s (230 km/h) with f...
Tree Bumblebee
Bombus hypnorum
A distinctive bumblebee with a brown thorax, black abdomen and white tail. Often nests in bird boxes...
Trichiosoma Hawthorn Sawfly
Trichiosoma lucorum
A large, very hairy sawfly with clubbed antennae and a dense covering of golden-brown hairs. It rese...
Trimmer's Mining Bee
Andrena trimmerana
A widespread spring mining bee with brownish-grey fur and a distinctive tooth on the hind femur. It ...
Triplaris Ant
Pseudomyrmex triplarinus
A South American ant that inhabits the hollow stems of Triplaris trees in a mutualistic relationship...
Tropical Carpenter Bee
Xylocopa latipes
One of the largest bee species in Asia with jet-black coloring and broad wings. They produce a loud ...
Tropical Fire Ant
Solenopsis geminata
A pantropical fire ant with large-headed major workers specialized for seed milling. It is one of th...
Tundra Ichneumon Wasp
Ichneumon gracilicornis
A medium-sized ichneumon wasp with a black body and conspicuous yellow-banded abdomen. It has a long...
Turnip Sawfly
Athalia rosae
A small orange and black sawfly whose larvae defoliate brassica crops....
Turtle Ant
Cephalotes atratus
A large, flat-bodied arboreal ant with a broad disc-shaped head used to block nest entrances in tree...
Twig Ant
Pseudomyrmex gracilis
A slender fast-moving ant that nests in hollow twigs and delivers a painful sting....
Two-coloured Mason Bee
Osmia bicolor
A distinctive bee with a black head and thorax and bright orange abdominal hair. It uniquely nests i...
Underground Army Ant
Labidus coecus
A mostly subterranean army ant that occasionally surfaces in massive raiding columns across the Amer...
Unequal Cellophane Bee
Colletes inaequalis
An early spring bee that forms large nesting aggregations in sandy soil. It lines its cells with a w...
Valentine Ant
Crematogaster cerasi
A North American acrobat ant common in deciduous forests and suburban yards. They typically nest in ...
Variable Cuckoo Bumble Bee
Bombus variabilis
A rare social parasite bumble bee that takes over colonies of other Bombus species in North America....
Velvet Ant
Dasymutilla occidentalis
Not actually an ant but a wasp. Females are wingless and covered in dense, colorful hair. Known as "...
Velvet Tree Ant
Liometopum occidentale
A large ant that nests in oak trees and produces a distinctive trail pheromone odor....
Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebee
Psithyrus vestalis
A brood parasitic bumblebee that takes over colonies of the Buff-tailed Bumblebee. The female kills ...
Violet Cuckoo Wasp
Chrysis rutilans
A stunning cuckoo wasp with violet, purple, and green metallic hues across its body. It parasitizes ...
Viper's Bugloss Mining Bee
Andrena nasuta
A specialist mining bee with an elongated face adapted for feeding on tubular flowers, particularly ...
Virginia Pine Sawfly
Neodiprion pratti pratti
A pine sawfly whose larvae are greenish-yellow with prominent dark stripes. It preferentially attack...
Wallacea Giant Bee
Megachile pluto
The worlds largest bee at 39 mm long with a 63 mm wingspan. Thought extinct for 38 years until redis...