Insect That Looks Like A Wasp

There’s a good reason why some bugs disguise themselves as another insect – it tricks predators like birds into thinking they are dangerous. One example of a bug in disguise is the hoverfly, which is easily confused with a wasp.

Insect That Looks Like A Wasp

There are over 270 types of hoverfly in Britain and about 120 of them have the distinguished black and yellow markings of a wasp. Some hoverfly’s look like honey bees (shiny brown, orange and black), bumblebees (furry) or hornets (huge wasp-like insects which although big and scary aren’t as ill-tempered as wasps).

The hoverfly doesn’t have a sting in its tail and is completely harmless and thus attracts an unfair negative and sometimes aggressive responsive from humans. So how do you tell the passive look-a-like hoverfly from it’s stinging want-to-be wasp? The good news is that the hoverfly’s disguise isn’t perfect and if you look carefully there are a few tell-tale clues:

How to IDENTIFY a Hoverfly

Eyes: large and round, especially large in some males so they can spot females better.

Antennae: short and stubby.

Thorax: only one pair of broad wings, usually held out flat in a backwards V shape when resting.

Abdomen: without a narrow waist; although a very few secretive species have perfected the narrow waist disguise.

Flight: World class hoverers. Some species can fly absolutely still in mid-air, then suddenly dart-off.

Sting: Absolutely none. Deep down all hoverfly know this but some are in denial and may still pretend.

Plus-points: apart from the no-stinging quality of their personality their larvae eat greenfly and can chomp through 50 aphids a day.

Lifestyle: Some hoverfly keep up their wasp pretense by living in wasp nests. Others live in compost heaps or take shelter in old trees.

How to IDENTIFY a Wasp

Head: Eyes smaller than the hoverfly and slimmer. Tend to be kidney shaped, pinched in around the antennae.

Antennae: Long and slim.

Thorax: Two pairs of wings. The front pair are large, the back wings much smaller. Wings are held directly over the back when resting.

Abdomen: The very narrow waist is a key give-away.

Flight: A casual, bobbing motion whilst searching for food.

Sting: Only the queens and female workers sting.

Lifestyle: Live in a nest made from paper. By the end of summer it is normally the size of a football and can contain 10,000 wasps. When the first frost comes the wasps return to the nest and die. The queens find somewhere sheltered to overwinter.

Insect That Looks Like A Wasp

The insect that looks like a wasp is the hoverfly. It looks like a wasp because of its color and shape, but it is actually a fly.

The hoverfly is important because it pollinates fruits and vegetables, which we need to survive. It also helps control pest populations by eating them.

The hoverfly is different from a wasp in several ways:

1) Its wings are not as thick and sturdy as those of wasps.

2) Its antennae are shorter and stubbier than those of wasps.

3) It has an oval-shaped body instead of a narrow waist like that of a wasp’s abdomen.

List Of Insect That Looks Like A Wasp