The difference between wasps and bees

Photo by Sarah Phelan

I often see people confusing bees and wasps. In a way, that's not surprising: both move fast in the field and, given folks' innate fear of being stung, most people don't hang around long enough to discern the difference.

So, I thought this was a handy photo in terms of illustrating the differences.
The bee (top of photo) is fuzzy all the better to gather pollen which it uses as a protein source back in the nest.
The wasp (bottom of photo) is smooth and doesn't gather pollen: it stings spiders and insects which it uses as a protein source back in the nest.