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
Warrior Wasp
Synoeca septentrionalis
Rated 4.0 on the Schmidt Pain Index alongside the bullet ant and tarantula hawk. Paper nest builders...
Weaver Ant
Oecophylla smaragdina
Builds elaborate nests by weaving living leaves together using silk produced by their own larvae. Wo...
West African Driver Ant
Dorylus molestus
A large East African driver ant known for its painful bites that are difficult to remove once clampe...
Western Bumble Bee
Bombus occidentalis
A once-common bumble bee of western North America that has experienced dramatic population declines ...
Western Cicada Killer
Sphecius grandis
A massive solitary wasp of the American West that hunts cicadas to provision its underground burrows...
Western Harvester Ant
Pogonomyrmex occidentalis
A large red ant that constructs conspicuous gravel-topped mound nests in western grasslands. It clea...
Western Large-headed Bee
Ctenocolletes smaragdinus
A metallic green bee endemic to Western Australia that belongs to the ancient family Stenotritidae. ...
Western Yellowjacket
Vespula pensylvanica
The most common yellowjacket in western North America with a distinctive diamond-shaped black mark o...
Wheat Stem Sawfly
Cephus cinctus
A major pest of wheat and barley on the northern Great Plains of North America. Larvae bore inside s...
White Pine Sawfly
Neodiprion pinetum
A defoliator primarily attacking eastern white pine in North America. Larvae feed in clusters, consu...
White-banded Sweat Bee
Lasioglossum leucozonium
A solitary dark brown furrow bee with conspicuous white hair bands on its abdomen. It is one of the ...
White-footed Ant
Technomyrmex difficilis
A small black ant with pale tarsi that forms enormous colonies numbering in the millions. It is a se...
White-spotted Ichneumon
Compsocryptus texensis
A medium black ichneumon wasp with conspicuous white spots on the thorax and legs. It parasitizes sp...
White-tailed Bumblebee
Bombus lucorum
A common bumblebee with two yellow bands and a white tail. Part of a complex of similar-looking spec...
Willoughby's Leafcutter Bee
Megachile willughbiella
A large, furry leafcutter bee common across Europe that nests in a variety of above-ground cavities....
Willow Bean-Gall Sawfly
Pontania proxima
A tiny sawfly that induces distinctive bean-shaped galls on the leaves of various willow species. Ea...
Willow Sawfly
Nematus salicis
A defoliator of willows across Europe found in wetlands and riparian areas. Larvae feed gregariously...
Willow Shoot Sawfly
Janus cynosbati
A slender, dark stem sawfly whose larvae bore into the shoots of willow and rose. Females cause dist...
Winnow Ant
Aphaenogaster senilis
A large, dark Mediterranean ant that is an important seed disperser in scrubland ecosystems. Workers...
Winter Ant
Prenolepis imparis
A small brown ant unique for being most active during cold months when other ants are dormant. Reple...
Wood-carving Leafcutter Bee
Megachile ligniseca
A large, dark leafcutter bee that nests in rotten wood and dead tree stumps across Europe. Females c...
Wool Carder Bee
Anthidium manicatum
A robust yellow-and-black solitary bee whose females scrape plant hairs to line their nests. Males a...
Woolly Alder Sawfly
Eriocampa ovata
A small, dark sawfly whose larvae are covered in a white, woolly, waxy secretion. The larvae feed on...
Wroughton's Army Ant
Aenictus wroughtonii
A small reddish-brown army ant that conducts well-organized raids on termite mounds in tropical Asia...
Xiphydriid Maple Borer
Xiphydria maculata
A slender wood wasp with a long, narrow neck region and dark body spotted with pale markings. Female...
Xyelid Pine Bud Sawfly
Xyela minor
A tiny sawfly with the characteristic elongated third antennal segment of its ancient family. Adults...
Xyelid Sawfly
Xyela julii
A tiny, delicate sawfly with a characteristic elongated third antennal segment. It is one of the mos...
Yellow Crazy Ant
Anoplolepis gracilipes
A long-legged, fast-moving invasive ant named for its erratic running pattern. They form supercoloni...
Yellow Flower Wasp
Radumeris tasmaniensis
A large, robust wasp with a bright yellow and black body commonly seen visiting flowers in Australia...
Yellow Hornet
Vespa simillima
Known as 'ke-buchi-suzumebachi' in Japanese, a common hornet in Japan and Korea. Builds large paper ...
Yellow Meadow Ant
Lasius flavus
A yellow subterranean ant that builds earth mounds in grasslands across Europe. Workers rarely come ...
Yellow Ophion
Ophion obscuratus
A laterally flattened, tawny-yellow parasitoid wasp active at dusk and after dark. Its larvae develo...
Yellow-Banded Cimbicid
Trichiosoma tibiale
A large, hairy sawfly with a banded abdomen and prominent clubbed antennae. The body is covered in d...
Yellow-faced Bee
Hylaeus communis
A tiny, nearly hairless black bee with distinctive yellow facial markings. It swallows pollen and ca...
Yellow-faced Horntail
Sirex nitobei
A large woodwasp native to East Asia that occasionally appears as an invasive species. Females bore ...
Yellow-headed Scoliid
Campsomeriella annulata
A large dark wasp with prominent yellow head markings and smoky wings. It is a parasitoid of large s...
Yellow-Horned Horntail
Urocerus flavicornis
A large wood wasp distinguished by its yellow antennae contrasting with a dark metallic blue-black b...
Yellow-legged Hornet
Vespa velutina
An invasive Asian hornet with a dark body and yellow leg tips now spreading rapidly across Europe. I...
Yellow-Legged Horntail
Urocerus augur
A large, dark-bodied wood wasp with bright yellow legs that contrast sharply with its blue-black bod...
Yellow-legged Mining Bee
Andrena flavipes
A widespread mining bee with distinctive yellow-orange pollen brushes on its hind legs. It produces ...
Yellow-legged Ophion
Ophion scutellaris
A large orange-brown ichneumon wasp commonly attracted to light at night. Parasitizes large moth cat...
Yellow-shouldered Slug Sawfly
Arge berberidis
A sawfly pest of barberry and mahonia shrubs, skeletonizing leaves in gardens. Larvae are slug-like ...