Hymenoptera

Hymenoptera is an order of insects that includes sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. The order is divided into two major suborders: Symphyta, the sawflies and their relatives, and Apocrita, which encompasses most wasps, bees, and all ants. Distinguishing features include two pairs of membranous wings, with the forewings typically larger than the hindwings and linked by tiny hooks (hamuli) in flight. The body is usually slender, often with a narrow petiole or waist in Apocrita, and mouthparts adapted for chewing or biting. Many members possess an ovipositor that can be modified into a sting.

Hymenoptera undergo complete metamorphosis: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Eggs are laid in or on suitable hosts or substrates; larvae are typically legless or grub-like and feed on a variety of materials; Pupation yields winged or other adult forms. Reproduction in many groups follows haplodiploid sex determination, with unfertilized eggs producing males and fertilized eggs producing females, a system that has influenced social evolution in some lineages.

Ecology and behavior are diverse. Many wasps are parasitoids, whose larvae develop inside or on other arthropods and that provide natural pest control. Other hymenopterans are herbivores, nectar feeders, or predators; bees and some wasps are important pollinators. A number of species are eusocial, notably ants, honeybees, and some wasps, with complex colonies and division of labor. Hymenoptera are of significant ecological and economic importance due to pollination, biological control, and, in some cases, stinging hazards to humans.

Diversity and distribution: Hymenoptera are globally distributed across a wide range of habitats, from forests to urban areas. Described species number around 150,000, with many more likely undescribed, particularly in tropical regions.