Skip to main content
Woodland Trust
  • Shop
  • Blog
Woodland Trust home page Become a member
Woodland Trust
  • Trees, woods and wildlife
    • A-Z tree guide
    • British trees
    • Tree pests and diseases
    • Climate change
    • Woodland animals
    • Woodland plants
    • Fungi and lichens
    • Habitats
    • Species identification guides
    • Nature's Calendar
    • Ancient Tree Inventory
    • State of UK Woods and Trees 2021
    • Watch the osprey cam

      Tune into the action at our Scottish osprey nest at Loch Arkaig.

      Watch live
  • Protecting trees and woods
    • Threats to woods and trees
    • Campaign with us
    • Take action in your community
    • Tell us about a threat
    • Street trees
    • Influencing government and policymakers
    • Ancient woodland restoration
    • State of UK Woods and Trees 2021
    • Landscape-scale conservation
    • Catch up on our campaigns

      Discover our recent challenges and successes and how you can help.

      Get the latest news
  • Visiting woods
    • Find a wood
    • Woodland habitats
    • Things to do
    • Foraging
    • Natures' Calendar
    • Ancient Tree Inventory
    • Events
    • Walking
    • Children and families
    • Woods through the seasons
      Discover more in the woods
    • Discover woods in spring
    • First signs of spring in nature

      Charlie Mellor  •  19 Feb 2021

    • UK blossom quiz: how well do you know tree flowers? 

      Rachel Hoskins  •  14 Mar 2020

  • Plant trees
    • Free trees for schools and communities
    • Trees for landowners and farmers
    • Natural regeneration
    • Benefits of agroforestry
    • Why plant trees?
    • Buy trees from our shop
    • Woodland Carbon
    • Tree planting advice
    • How to choose a tree
    • Where to plant
    • How to plant a tree
    • UK sourced and grown trees: why buy?
    • Community woods
    • Funding
    • Acquiring
    • Planning a wood
    • Find a community wood near you
    • Think big with MOREwoods

      Want to plant 500+ trees on at least half a hectare? 

      Learn more and apply
  • About us
    • What we do
    • Where we work
    • How we are run
    • Our history
    • Careers with us
    • Volunteering
    • Our partners
    • Our publications
      Featured blogs
    • Woodland Walks podcast with Adam Shaw - Avoncliff, Wiltshire

      Adam Shaw  •  17 May 2022

    • Swifts, swallows and martins: easy ID guide

      Fritha West  •  05 May 2022

    • What woodland wildlife is doing in May

      Charlie Mellor  •  01 May 2022

  • Support us
    • Join
    • Become a member
    • Collect Nectar points with Woodland Trust membership
    • Act
    • Campaign with us
    • Volunteer with us
    • Your community
    • Your school
    • Tree Charter
    • Events
    • Give
    • Make a donation
    • Support an appeal
    • Leave a gift in your will
    • Dedicate trees or woodland
    • Fundraise for us
    • Play our raffle
    • Carbon donations
    • Philanthropy and major gifts
    • Donate your Nectar points
    • How we spend your money
    • Fundraise
    • As an individual
    • As a group
    • At work
    • Fundraise for a woodland dedication
    • A-Z tree guide
    • British trees
    • Tree pests and diseases
    • Climate change
    • Woodland animals
    • Woodland plants
    • Fungi and lichens
    • Habitats
    • Species identification guides
    • Nature's Calendar
    • Ancient Tree Inventory
    • State of UK Woods and Trees 2021
    • Shop
    • Blog
    • Threats to woods and trees
    • Campaign with us
    • Take action in your community
    • Tell us about a threat
    • Street trees
    • Influencing government and policymakers
    • Ancient woodland restoration
    • State of UK Woods and Trees 2021
    • Landscape-scale conservation
    • Shop
    • Blog
    • Find a wood
    • Woodland habitats
      • Things to do
      • Foraging
      • Natures' Calendar
      • Ancient Tree Inventory
      • Events
      • Walking
      • Children and families
      • Woods through the seasons
      • Shop
      • Blog
    • Shop
    • Blog
    • Free trees for schools and communities
    • Trees for landowners and farmers
    • Natural regeneration
    • Benefits of agroforestry
    • Why plant trees?
    • Buy trees from our shop
    • Woodland Carbon
      • Tree planting advice
      • How to choose a tree
      • Where to plant
      • How to plant a tree
      • Shop
      • Blog
    • UK sourced and grown trees: why buy?
      • Community woods
      • Funding
      • Acquiring
      • Planning a wood
      • Find a community wood near you
      • Shop
      • Blog
    • Shop
    • Blog
    • What we do
    • Where we work
    • How we are run
    • Our history
    • Careers with us
    • Volunteering
    • Our partners
    • Our publications
    • Shop
    • Blog
      • Join
      • Become a member
      • Collect Nectar points with Woodland Trust membership
      • Shop
      • Blog
      • Act
      • Campaign with us
      • Volunteer with us
      • Your community
      • Your school
      • Tree Charter
      • Events
      • Shop
      • Blog
      • Give
      • Make a donation
      • Support an appeal
      • Leave a gift in your will
      • Dedicate trees or woodland
      • Fundraise for us
      • Play our raffle
      • Carbon donations
      • Philanthropy and major gifts
      • Donate your Nectar points
      • How we spend your money
      • Shop
      • Blog
      • Fundraise
      • As an individual
      • As a group
      • At work
      • Shop
      • Blog
    • Fundraise for a woodland dedication
    • Shop
    • Blog
Become a member
  • Shop
  • Blog

Bees, wasps and ants

Bees, wasps and ants all form part of the insect order Hymenoptera, a large and diverse group made up of 'membrane-winged' insects. Most are social animals, with colonies made up of queens, drones and workers, although there are some solitary species. Bees and wasps are important pollinators, while many ant species play a vital role in woodland ecosystems. 

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Hornet

    The king of the wasps with a fearsome reputation, the hornet is actually much less aggressive than its smaller cousin, the common wasp

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Southern wood ant

    Acid-spraying insects with a soft side. Southern wood ants roam our woods in huge gangs and have a surprising approach to finding their favourite food.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Tree bumblebee

    A new arrival and a welcome addition to the UK's bumblebees. This enterprising bee has quickly set up home across Britain and happily takes to nest boxes provided by kindly gardeners.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Common wasp

    These picnic ruiners might not be the UK's most popular invertebrate, but they are efficient pollinators.

Keep exploring

Blog

Types of bee in the UK: how to tell the difference

Charlotte Varela  •  14 May 2019

Trees woods and wildlife

Other invertebrates

Find out about the millions of woodland insects and invertebrates that live among the leaves, under bark, in dead wood, leaf litter and soil.

Blog

Where do bees go in winter? And other insects’ winter behaviour

Judith Garforth  •  13 Feb 2019

Woodland Trust home page

Keep in touch with the nature you love

Sign up to stay connected
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • Contact us
  • Jobs
  • Press and media
  • Newsletter
  • Publications
  • Accessibility
  • Cookie policy
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms and conditions
Fundraising Regulator Logo

The Woodland Trust is a charity registered in England and Wales (No. 294344) and in Scotland (No. SC038885).  A non-profit-making company limited by guarantee. Registered in England No. 1982873.

Woodland Trust (Enterprises) Limited, registered in England (No. 2296645), is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Woodland Trust. Registered office: Kempton Way, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 6LL.

The Woodland Trust and Woodland Trust Nature Detectives logos are registered trademarks. Images © protected Woodland Trust. VAT No. GB520 6111 04.