Wasps are related to bees and ants. Some experts believe that all the species of ants and all the species of bees actually descended from a species of wasp long ago.

Wasps are often considered to be insect eaters and although this is true of some wasps, most wasps rely upon nectar (like bees) as their main source of food.

Like bees, many species of wasp fall into two main categories, those being: social wasps and solitary wasps. The social wasps are the most well-known and the social wasps in England all possess the ability to sting. The most common of these stinging social wasps is called the Common Wasp and its nest is built of paper made from dried wood and bark mixed with the wasp’s saliva. Other social stinging wasps build nests underground (called digger wasps) and others build nests of mud above ground (called potter wasps).

Hornets are a type of social stinging wasp and they build paper nests above the ground and enclose it with an outer cover forming the characteristic 'hornet's nest'. These nests may house hundreds of thousands of individual hornets. We have one type of hornet native to this country which is the European Hornet.

Other types of wasps such as the Bee Killer Wasps are solitary wasps because each female constructs an individual cell for herself and raises and provides for her young on her own.