Reidentification of צרעה in the Bible and in Rabbinic Literature / זיהויי "צרעה" בתנ"ך ובדברי חז"ל

Reexamination of the meaning of the Hebrew word צרעה and its Aramaic parallel ערעיתא reveals that these terms can refer to various insect species. In some sources, they refer to the hornet (Vespa orientalis) or related genera of that family, such as Vespula and Polistes. In other cases, these words are used for one or another species of solitary bees, such as the mason bee (Chalicodoma), or Andrena. A third group of insects sometimes referred to are flies with a bee-like appearance, such as the warble fly (Hypoderma bovis) and the sheep nostril fly (Oestrus ovis), belonging to the family Oestridae, which are more frequently met with as larvae than as adults. Other flies that mimic bees or wasps, such as various species of Asylidae, Conopidae, Nemestrinidae and Syrphidae may belong to this group. דבש צרעים is interpreted as bee bread — a mixture of nectar and pollen prepared by the female of solitary bees for their offspring. Sometimes, a secretion from a special gland, probably with a nutritional function similar to royal jelly, is deposited in the bee bread. Compared to its modern meaning of hornet, in the classical period צרעה meant all wasps and most bees (except for the honey bee and its relatives) as well as various flies, especially the hairy ones that resemble bees or wasps. Indeed, it is difficult for the inexperienced eye to distinguish between them.