Hymenoptera is one of the larger orders of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. The name comes from the membranous wings (Greek hymen, a membrane), of which most forms have two pairs when present, the front wings larger than the back.

Females typically have a special ovipositor for inserting eggs into hosts or otherwise inaccessible places, often modified into a stinger. The young develop through complete metamorphosis - that is, they have a worm-like larval stage and an inactive pupal stage before they mature. (See holometabolism.)

Among the hymenopterans, sex is determined by the number of chromosomes the individual receives. Fertilized eggs get two sets of chromosomes, and so develop into diploid females; unfertilized eggs only receive one set, and so develop into haploid males. This phenomenon is called haplodiploidy. Note, however, that the actual genetic mechanisms of haplodiploid sex determination are more complex than simple chromosome number. In many Hymenoptera, sex is actually determined by a single gene locus with many alleles. In these species, haploids are male and diploids heterozygous at the sex locus are female, but occasionally a diploid will be homozygous at the sex locus and develop as a male instead. This is especially likely to occur in an individual whose parents were siblings or other close relatives. Diploid males are known to be produced by inbreeding in many ant, bee and wasp species. (See Haplo-diploid sex-determination system.)

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An angry November wasp just buzzed in. The Mad Max of the Hymenoptera, raging against a wintry apocalypse.
jamesmcgraw (James McGraw) Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:47:10 -0000
An angry November wasp just buzzed in. The Mad Max of the Hymenoptera, raging against a wintry apocalypse.
The three of us complement each other so well. I love living here and creating our little nest. (Stranger in a Strange Land nest.)
hymenoptera (Jill) Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:54:53 -0000
The three of us complement each other so well. I love living here and creating our little nest. (Stranger in a Strange Land nest.)
Shopping with my family on Sunday! What started out as a small side trip will undoubtedly become an epic adventure.
hymenoptera (Jill) Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:53:20 -0000
Shopping with my family on Sunday! What started out as a small side trip will undoubtedly become an epic adventure.
(Last tweet was a quote from @adventurevida http://bit.ly/2g7vlV ) It needs to #snow soon or I will do something rash. #winter #skiing
hymenoptera (Jill) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:32:04 -0000
(Last tweet was a quote from @adventurevida http://bit.ly/2g7vlV ) It needs to #snow soon or I will do something rash. #winter #skiing
"[Cold] calls first. It gives intimations, slipping in in the night and sliding away in the morning with the promise it will be back soon."
hymenoptera (Jill) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:27:25 -0000
"[Cold] calls first. It gives intimations, slipping in in the night and sliding away in the morning with the promise it will be back soon."
Investigación: Bordera, Santiago, et al. Mastrina (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) de la Comunidad Valenciana. http://bit.ly/4hEiLZ
RUA_Alicante (RUA) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:42:58 -0000
Investigación: Bordera, Santiago, et al. Mastrina (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) de la Comunidad Valenciana. http://bit.ly/4hEiLZ

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