Hymenoptera is an order of insects that include wasps, bees, bumblebees and ants. Although bees and bumblebees are the main pollinators in this group, some species of wasps in the family Agaonidae are the major pollinators of fig trees. Some ant species feed on nectar, but are not considered pollinators. Ants secret a substance that acts as an antibiotic, to protect their bodies. However, this substance also kills the grains of pollen that they carry on their bodies when moving to one flower to the next.
Beetles are part of the order Coleoptera, which comprise the largest group of pollinating animals. Beetles pollinate more than 80 percent of the plants across the world. Beetles have a good sense of smell, which attracts them to the flowers. Beetles of the family Nitidulidae, or sap beetles, are the natural pollinators of custard apples.
Lepidoptera insects are moths and butterflies, many of them feeding on nectar. Butterflies are delicate and have specialized mouths to suck the nectar of flowers, sometimes without needing to get into them, unlike beetles. For this reason, they do not pick up a lot of pollen on their legs and bodies. Although they do not have a good sense of smell, they can distinguish the color red.
Diptera includes insect that have only a pair of wings, such as flies and mosquitoes. Some flies of the families Bombyliidae and Syrphidae are important pollinators, because they feed on nectar and pollen, unlike other Diptera. The red trillium or stinking Benjamin is a tropical plant that produces carrion-smelling flowers, attracting flies, its main pollinators.