African Spider Wasp vs Nomada Cuckoo Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute African Spider Wasp Nomada Cuckoo Bee
Scientific Name Hemipepsis capensis Nomada marshamella
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Pompilidae Apidae
Size 30-50 mm 9-12mm
Habitat Underground Deserts & Drylands
Diet Predators Parasitoids
Regions Southern Africa Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

African Spider Wasp

A very large blue-black wasp with bright orange wings that hunts baboon spiders. It is one of Africa's largest solitary wasps.

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Did You Know?

A single female can overpower and paralyze a baboon spider three times her own weight with a precisely placed sting.

Nomada Cuckoo Bee

A wasp-like cuckoo bee with red and black markings that sneaks into andrena bee nests to lay its eggs.

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Did You Know?

Mimics a wasp in appearance and behavior to avoid detection while sneaking into the nests of mining bees.