Hymenoptera is one of the main orders if insects, containing over 280,000 species. This order is made up of Bees, Wasps, ants, as well as other less familiar insects, Sawflies and Wood Wasps. This is a order of insects know for many members having advanced social interactions and in some cases separate caste for workers and reproduction. Many insects insects in this order display complex forms of communication, a well known example of this is some Bees that preform a dance to communicate with each other.
This order is also categorized by their wings that are membranous and transparent, which is where the name of this order is derived from. The name Hymenoptera come from the Greek word ‘hymen’ meaning membrane and ‘pteron’ meaning wing. Most species in this order have two pairs of wings, though notable some, specifically Ants only have wings in certain stages of life.
Another major characteristic of this order is there very mobile head and developed mandibles. In most species the mandibles are utilized for escaping the pupa case or nest building, though they can be utilized for many different purposes, they are not often utilized specifically for feeding. The larvae of most species in this order are grub like and grow in a cocoon or special casing, though some do develop inside a host in a parasitic form, most notably certain species of Wasps.