Which group of insects do wasps, hornets, and bees belong to?

Wasps, hornets, and bees are categorized as stinging insects due to their ability to deliver a venomous sting using their stingers. This characteristic distinguishes them from other groups of insects. Stinging insects are primarily part of the order Hymenoptera, which also encompasses ants. Their stingers are adaptations used for defense, predation, or competition for resources.

While flies belong to a separate order known as Diptera and beetles fall under Coleoptera, neither of these groups share the stinging capability of wasps, hornets, and bees. Caterpillars, which are the larval stage of moths and butterflies in the order Lepidoptera, do not possess stingers at all. Each of these other groups lacks the defining feature of stinging, which is why they are not classified alongside wasps, hornets, and bees.