The hymenoptera order is in the Anthropoda phyla and the Insecta class (Bartlett, 2004). It contains over 100,000 species including bees, wasps, yellow jackets, and hornets (Tracy, 2011).  The name hymenoptera comes from  the Greek word “hymen” meaning membrane and “pteron” meaning wing (Bartlett, 2004).

Some members of the Hymenoptera order, such as honeybees, are very docile and will not attack unless under direct diress. Others such as invasive Africanized bees are very aggressive (Prado et al., 2010).

Studies have shown that 56-94% of people are stung at lease once in their lifetime by a Hymenoptera family member (Krishna et al., 2011). The reaction to these stings is the source of approximately forty deaths per year in America alone (Tracy, 2011).

This website was made as part of a project for Animal Physiology class at Davidson College.