Family Apidae
Bees
Africanized Honey Bee (Killer Bee)
Hymenoptera is a large order of some of the most famous social insects. These social insects have a monarchy system, with the members of a colony divided into workers, drones, and a queen. Not all the hymenopterans are social, however. Some spend solitary lives.
All hymenopterans share one thing in common: they have membranous wings. Even the queen ant has wings at some stage of life. Most of the hymenopterans have some mode of defense, varying from stingers to mouthparts that can inflict painful bites.
Hymenoptera is a truly diverse order, consisting of bees, ants, wasps, parisitoids, hornets, and sawflies. The parisitoids, consisting of many orders and collectively called wasps (not to be confused with true wasps), are the most fascinating and yet least known of the hymenopterans. Most species of parisitoids lay their eggs inside a host, typically an insect, spider, or plant. The eggs then hatch and the larvae feed on the host.
Many hymenopterans are important pollinators of flowering plants. For example, the honeybee will fly from flower to flower collecting nectar which it then converts to honey to feed its larvae. In the process of collecting nectar, it may brush against some pollen, which then sticks to the hairs on the leg and is transported to the next flower that the bee visits. If it is a flower of the same species, the pollen may pollinate that flower. Most ants also have strong relationships with plants, whether being pollinators, parasites, or protectors. Some ant species kill any insect threats to a certain plant, and in return that plant may provide nectar, shelter, or even a special ant food. Other ants will attack plants, stealing their leaves for their own shelter.
Hymenopterans are wonderfully diverse and advanced insects, many species even having a complicated form of communication known as a dance. Honeybees, for example, will do a dance that informs the other bees of the location of some flowers. Bees, as well as being able to communicate, also have an unusual form of vision, being able to see UV rays and therefore being able to fly at night or under cloud cover.
Hymenopterans typically have a hard exoskeleton, making them hard to kill with just a fly swatter or a boot. Even after death, wasps are still capable of stinging. In some bees the stinger detaches after use, killing the insect. In wasps and hornets, the stinger does not detach, allowing them to sting repeatedly. Although people have died due to bee stings, it is rare, and usually the victims are elderly, children, or allergic to bee stings.
Hymenopterans display a wide variety of aggression. Some, like the bumblebees, are rather docile and will not attack. Others, like the infamous "killer" bees and the army ants, will attack without being provoked.
There are several different ways to divide this order. One way is the 63-family method, listed below:
Agaonidae (pollinating fig wasps)
Anthophoridae (anthophorine bees)
Aphelinidae (Aphelinid wasps)
Apidae (bumblebees, honey bees, carpenter bees, digger bees)
Argidae (argid sawflies)
Aulacidae (aulacid wasps)
Bethylidae (bethylid wasps)
Braconidae (braconid wasps)
Ceraphronidae (ceraphronid wasps)
Chalcididae (chalcid wasps)
Charipidae (hyper aphid wasps)
Chrysididae (cuckoowasps)
Colletidae (plasterer bees)
Ctenoplectridae (long–tongued bees)
Cynipidae (gall wasps)
Diapriidae (diapriid wasps)
Dryinidae (pincer wasps)
Elasmidae (chalcid wasps)
Embolemidae (fulgorid wasps)
Encyrtidae (encyrtid wasps)
Eucharitidae (eucharitid wasps)
Eucoilidae (diptera wasps)
Eulophidae (eulophid wasps)
Eupelmidae (eupelmid wasps)
Eurytomidae (eurytomid wasps)
Evaniidae (ensign wasps)
Figitidae (lacewing wasps)
Formicidae (ants)
Gasteruptiidae (gasteruptiid wasps)
Halictidae (sweat bees)
Heloridae (helorid wasps)
Ichneumonidae (ichneumon wasps)
Leucospididae (leucospid wasps)
Megachilidae (leafcutting bees, mason bees)
Megalyridae (megalyrid wasps)
Megaspilidae (megaspilid wasps)
Monomachidae (monomachid wasps)
Mutillidae (velvet ants)
Mymaridae (mymarid wasps)
Ormyridae (ormyrids)
Orussidae (parasitic wood wasps)
Pamphiliidae (web-spinning sawflies)
Pergidae (pergid sawflies)
Perilampidae (perilampid wasps)
Platygasteridae (platygastrid wasps)
Pompilidae (spider wasps)
Proctotrupidae (proctotrupids)
Pteromalidae (pteromalid wasps)
Scelionidae (scelionid wasps)
Sclerogibbidae (embioptera wasps)
Scoliidae (scoliid wasps)
Siricidae (horntails)
Sphecidae (digger wasps)
Stenotritidae (stenotritid wasps)
Stephanidae (stephanids)
Tanaostigmatidae (tanaostigmatids)
Tenthredinidae (common sawflies)
Tiphiidae (tiphiid wasps)
Torymidae (torymid wasps)
Trichogrammatidae (trichogrammatid wasps)
Trigonalyidae (trigonalid wasps)
Xiphyriidae (wood wasps)
Vespidae (yellowjackets, hornets, potter wasps)
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