The field guide
Know them on sight.
The hornets, wasps and bees you’re most likely to meet — how to tell them apart, and how much caution each one really deserves.
Not sure if it’s a hornet, a wasp or a bee? Start here →Start here
Two hornets, constantly confused
In Europe, most reports of the invasive “Asian hornet” are really the native one. Here’s the tell.
Honey beeApis mellifera
Common waspVespula vulgaris
Potter waspEumenes spp.
Carpenter beeXylocopa violacea
European hornetVespa crabro
Yellow-legged hornetVespa velutina
Asian giant hornetVespa mandarinia
Oriental hornetVespa orientalis
Warrior waspSynoeca septentrionalis
Social wasp (Agelaia)Agelaia pallipes
Social wasp (Polybia)Polybia paulista