3rd or 4th most species-rich order.
“Membrane-wing”; well developed ovipositor; most live in constructed “nests”.
Includes: sawflies, parasitoids, “wasps”, ants, & bees.
“Wasp” = general, paraphyletic term; may describe almost any hymenopteran.
Many “beneficial” species but also many pests.
In many habitats may be most numerous insects in numbers of individuals because of social species with large colonies, especially ants, which may be “keystone” species.
Bees are the primary pollinators of zoophilous vascular plants; they are linked to survival of the earth’s modern vegetation.