Many of us use the words hornet and wasp interchangeably, but that's a vast overgeneralization that does a disservice to these winged creatures . Understanding the differences between hornets and wasps might help you make better pest control decisions, prevent you from killing beneficial species, and of course, maybe keep you from getting a painful sting .

Here's the biggest thing to know: All hornets are wasps, but not all wasps are hornets.

Hornet vs. Wasp

"Hornets are just a kind of wasp," Jason Gibbs, assistant professor of entomology at the University of Manitoba said in a 2019 email interview. "Wasp is a very broad term that covers many different species with different lifestyles."

There are more than 100,000 wasp species on Earth, each a testament to the startling divers

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