American Bumble Bee vs Giant Ichneumon Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute American Bumble Bee Giant Ichneumon Wasp
Scientific Name Bombus pensylvanicus Dolichomitus imperator
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Apidae Ichneumonidae
Size 15-25 mm 20-40 mm body, 70 mm ovipositor
Habitat Farmland Forests
Diet Nectar Feeders Parasitoids
Regions Eastern and central United States, now declining across its range Europe, Asia
Conservation Vulnerable Least Concern

American Bumble Bee

A large bumble bee with a yellow thorax, black band between the wings, and a mostly yellow abdomen. Once one of the most common bumble bees in North America, it has experienced significant population declines.

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Did You Know?

Its populations have declined by nearly 90 percent in some regions, prompting conservation concern across its entire range.

Giant Ichneumon Wasp

A parasitoid wasp with an ovipositor longer than its body used to drill into wood.

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Did You Know?

It detects beetle larvae vibrations through several centimeters of solid wood.