{"id":12555,"date":"2022-12-22T18:53:23","date_gmt":"2022-12-22T23:53:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/?p=12555"},"modified":"2022-12-22T18:53:24","modified_gmt":"2022-12-22T23:53:24","slug":"insects-that-look-like-wasps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/insects-that-look-like-wasps\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Insects That Look Like Wasps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Paper wasps, yellowjackets, hornets\u2013all of these insects belong to the same family known collectively as wasps. There are around 150,000 species of wasp, and as you might imagine, they vary widely in appearance. But did you know there are other insects that don\u2019t belong to this family despite looking and behaving similarly? Keep reading to find out more about insects that look like wasps, but aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insects That Look Like Wasps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Bees<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"honey<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is a common occurrence for people to mistake bees for wasps and wasps for bees. Both types of insects are found throughout the world and come in many different species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s more, both bees and wasps are pollinators, have the ability to fly, and are known for their painful stingers. Many types of wasps and bees live in colonies with similar social structures.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, there are easy ways to distinguish between bees and wasps if you know what to look for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wasps typically have long, smooth, streamlined bodies without any noticeable hairs. Bees, on the other hand, are rounder and stouter, and their bodies are usually covered in fuzzy hairs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, many types of bees can only sting once, while most wasps are able to sting repeatedly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Wasp Beetles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"wasp<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The wasp beetle is found in parts of Europe, especially the United Kingdom. It is sometimes called a wasp-mimicking insect due to various physical features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many wasps, wasp beetles have black bodies with yellow stripe-like markings. Their antennae and the shape of their head also gives them the appearance of a wasp.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wasp beetles fly in much the same way as wasps do, and they will make a buzzing noise similar to wasps in flight when they feel threatened. They spend much of their time nectaring on flowers, just as many wasps do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best way to tell them apart is to get a good look at them when they are not in flight. Wasp beetles at rest appear wingless, as their wings are covered by their elytra.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wasp beetles are also a little larger than most wasps, and their larvae live in dead and decaying wood. Most wasp larvae live in nests created by the adult wasps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Wasp Moths<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"wasp<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There are various types of moths known as wasp moths. These insects can be found in various parts of the world depending on their species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Texas wasp moth is one of the most convincing wasp mimics due to its striking yellow-and-black coloration. However, unlike wasps, this moth\u2019s narrow black wings tend to stick out at wide angles.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The black-banded wasp moth is also black and yellow in color, but it has the additional feature of large white spots all over its wings. These spots help to set it apart from true wasps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polka-dot wasp moths also have large spots on their wings, as well as on their bodies. They are mostly black in color with a red-tipped abdomen; this red coloring along with the white wing spots help to set it apart from wasps.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scarlet-bodied wasp moth, as the name suggests, is bright red in color. It has blue-black wings and a black-tipped abdomen, and it is commonly mistaken for a wasp due to its bright coloring, which people naturally (and falsely) assume makes it dangerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Flies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With about 120,000 species of fly in the world, it only makes sense that some of them would look similar to wasps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hoverflies are most notable for this characteristic. There are more than 6,000 species of hoverflies alone, and they come in many shapes and sizes.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of hoverflies are stunning mimics of bees and wasps. Many are similar in size to wasps, have similar coloring and patterns, and have smooth, hairless, wasp-shaped bodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hoverflies are pollinators, so like wasps, they spend a lot of time nectaring on flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many species of thick-headed flies also look like wasps. These flies, as the name suggests, have heads that are thicker than their thoraxes, and many of them have a similar size and appearance with wasps.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main thing that sets these wasp-like flies apart from real wasps is that they can\u2019t sting. Aside from this characteristic, you may find it extremely difficult to distinguish them unless you know the identifying features of the specific type of fly you\u2019re trying to identify.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about hoverflies, check out this video:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0XU1EmY9G5c<\/a>