2 Bees and Wasps

Bees and Wasps

Hairy insects. Bees and wasps are types of insects. Wasps have thin, smooth bodies and legs, but bees are fatter and furrier. This is a bumblebee. It has lots of fuzzy hairs on its legs and body that keep it warm.

Body parts. Bees and wasps have some parts of their bodies that are the same. All bees and wasps have six legs. At the end of each leg is a tiny claw that's good for gripping.

They have two feelers on their heads that they use to smell and touch. Most bees and wasps have two pairs of wings. One pair of wings is smaller than the other. This photograph shows a type of large wasp called a hornet. Not all bees and wasps are black and yellow. Some have brown, red, blue or green bodies.

Fast fliers. Most bees and wasps can fly. Before a bee flies it warms itself by resting in the sun or shaking its body. If a bumblebee gets wet, it can't fly. It has to wait until it's dry again. Some wasps can't fly at all. Female velvet ant wasps, like this one, don't have any wings.

The buzzing sound you hear from a bee or wasp is made when it flaps its wings. Bumblebees have big, round bodies but their wings are small. They have to beat their wings very quickly so they can fly. This is a red-tailed bumblebee. It beats its wings 200 times every second to stay in the air.