Economic important families

a. Apidae (Honey bees)

• Hind tibia without spur and eyes hairy. Hind metatarsus modified as a pollen basket on worker bees.
• Caste-system with non-reproductive workers and reproduction queens and drones. Example: Honey bee, Apis indica L. Very important pollinator of many plants.
• Honey and beeswax are useful items produced by them. Bee venom is sometimes used in traction illnesses of joints in man as arthritis, To make one pound of honey, one bee has to make a flight equivalent to twice around the world.

b. Bombidae (Bumble Bees-Bhanwara)

• The hind tibia with spurs and the first segment of the hind tarsus is flattened.
• Examples: Bumble bee, locally known as Bhanwara. A very important family of plant pollinators.

c. Formicidae (Ants)

• Geniculate antennae, usually wingless, drones and queens winged in mating season, workers always wingless and non-reproductive, and the ant make nests with the leaves, and several leaves are tied with silken threads.

d. Tenthredinidae (sawflies)

• Example: mustard sawfly, Athalia proxima lugens. The larvae feed on the leaves of mustard and sometimes other cruciferous crops.

e. Trichogrammatidae (insect egg parasites especially lepidopterous insects).

• Example: Trichogramma sp; egg parasite of various shoot and stemborers. Natural and biological control agents as egg parasites of pest insects. Man can rear and release insects to control pest insects in the field.

f. Ichneumonidae

• Example: Xanthopimpla predator, a pupal parasite of chilo partellus.
• The members of this family are mostly parasitic on caterpillars and other insect larvae and pupae.

g. Chalcididae (chalcids)

• Example: Seed Chalcids. The seed chalcids infest seeds causing the destruction.
• Some species of chalcids are helpful as natural control agents as egg parasites of some other insects.

h. Braconidae (Braconids)

• Examples: Apanteles spp.; a larvae parasite of Pieris brassicae.

i. Vespidae

• Examples: common wasps