Bean Aphid Parasite vs Cuckoo Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Bean Aphid Parasite Cuckoo Bee
Scientific Name Lysiphlebus fabarum Nomada flava
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Braconidae Apidae
Size 1.5-2.5 mm 8-11 mm
Habitat Farmland Meadows
Diet Omnivores Pollen Feeders
Regions Europe, Western Asia Europe, Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Bean Aphid Parasite

A minute braconid wasp that parasitizes black bean aphids and related species. Some populations reproduce asexually, consisting entirely of females.

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Did You Know?

Certain populations are entirely female and reproduce through parthenogenesis caused by infection with Wolbachia bacteria.

Cuckoo Bee

A slender, wasp-like bee with yellow and black banding that lacks pollen-collecting structures. It is a brood parasite that sneaks into the nests of mining bees to lay its eggs.

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Did You Know?

Like cuckoo birds, these bees lay their eggs in the nests of other bee species, where the cuckoo larva kills the host egg and consumes all the stored food.