| Common name | Typical number of adults in a nest | Solitary, but many can occur in the same area | Will sting in defense of the nest | Will not sting unless pinched or handled | Nest | Principal food |
| Bees | ||||||
| Honey bee | Thousands | √ | Wax combs in hollow trees, building voids, or manmade hives; Africanized honey bees will nest in many types of cavities | Pollen and honey made from nectar | ||
| Bumble bee | Dozens | √ | Wax pots in the ground or other cavities | Pollen and honey made from nectar | ||
| Carpenter bee | One | √ | √ | Tunnels in wood trim, fences, and decks | Pollen and nectar | |
| Sweat bee | One | √ | √ | Pollen and nectar | ||
| Wasps | ||||||
| Yellow jackets | Hundreds to thousands | √ | Paper combs hidden by envelope and attached to vegetation or buildings, or in the ground or building voids | Insects, nectar, ripe fruit; some species scavenge carrion and human food | ||
| Paper wasps | Dozens | √ | A single, exposed (no envelope) paper comb with cells open at the bottom | Insects (often caterpillars), nectar | ||
| European hornet | Hundreds | √ | Brittle, brown combs, with or without envelope, in hollow trees or building voids | Insects (often bees and yellow jackets), ripe fruit, sap | ||
| Cicada killers | One | √ | √ | Burrows in the ground | Cicadas | |
| Mud daubers | One | √ | √ | Mud lumps or tubes in sheltered areas | Spiders | |
