Abbott's Sphinx Moth vs Two-coloured Mason Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Abbott's Sphinx Moth Two-coloured Mason Bee
Scientific Name Sphecodina abbottii Osmia bicolor
Order Lepidoptera Hymenoptera
Family Sphingidae Megachilidae
Size 50-70 mm 8-11 mm
Habitat Underground Grasslands
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Eastern North America Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Abbott's Sphinx Moth

A unique hawk moth with scalloped brown wings and a yellow and brown banded body resembling a large hornet. Its flight is rapid and bee-like, flying mainly at dusk.

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Did You Know?

Abbott's sphinx is named after John Abbott, an 18th-century English naturalist who produced over 3,000 paintings of Georgian insects.

Two-coloured Mason Bee

A distinctive bee with a black head and thorax and bright orange abdominal hair. It uniquely nests inside empty snail shells on chalk grasslands.

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Did You Know?

After filling a snail shell with pollen and eggs, the female camouflages it by piling grass and plant stems over it.