Braconid Mummy Wasp vs Small Scissor Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Braconid Mummy Wasp Small Scissor Bee
Scientific Name Aphidius matricariae Chelostoma florisomne
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Braconidae Megachilidae
Size 1.5-2 mm 7-10 mm
Habitat Farmland Woodlands
Diet Parasitoids Wood Feeders
Regions Europe, Asia, North America Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Braconid Mummy Wasp

A small parasitoid wasp specializing in green peach aphids and other crop pest aphids. It is commercially reared for biological pest control.

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Did You Know?

Females can detect which aphids have already been parasitized and avoid wasting eggs on them.

Small Scissor Bee

A slender black solitary bee that nests in beetle borings in dead wood. It is a specialist pollinator of buttercups.

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Did You Know?

Males often sleep inside buttercup flowers at night, clinging to the petals as they close.