How do you tell if it's a bee or a wasp?

There’s this bee/wasp on my windowsill. It’s the regular yellow and black but for some reason it’s “tail” or “butt” is reddish brown, it’s not black. I don’t think I’ve seen one like that before.

Answer #1

bees are smaller and rounder wasps have long wings narrow bodys and ling legs and about the size of a grass hoppers body bees are compairable to a jelly bean lol hope this helped

Answer #2

Wasp also have a two part body instead of one - unless you count the head.

Answer #3

Bees are Fat and wasps are slim here in the UK..but i like fat bees?but not fat…and i like slim …but dont like slim wasps…i am confused.

Answer #4

and… i have never had a bee get all agressive when capturing it in a glass t release it…where as wasps sting the glass /bit of paper and buzz like hell.Bees are our friends by the way…Einstein said that if all the Bees died tommorrow them man would soon follow…we need those little guys so dont kill em.

Answer #5

A Wasp generally has a longer body. From what I’ve seen.

Answer #6

wasps are so ugly and scary looking. Bees look smaller and not as unpleasant.

Answer #7

They both have three parts (head, thorax and abdomen), same as any other insect, but most wasps (except for hornets, a subset of wasps) have a narrow waist between the thorax and abdomen (hence, “wasp-waisted”), so they look longer and more slender, whereas the separation is more obscure in bees, so they generally look rounder and more compact. Also, bees’ bodies are hairy (to pick up pollen), while wasps have smooth and shiny exoskeletons.

I found this useful tidbit: “You might want to think twice before you seek revenge against the insect that stung you: If your attacker was a yellow-jacket wasp or a honeybee and his nest is within 15 feet (4.6 meters), then within 15 seconds of your heinous act, an alarm signal in the form of a scent will reach his buddies. They will hunt you down and sting you many, many more times.” (http://funadvice.com/r/1615534vg4n)

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