Broad-footed Colletes vs Cicada Killer Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Broad-footed Colletes Cicada Killer Wasp
Scientific Name Colletes halophilus Sphecius speciosus
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Colletidae Crabronidae
Size 9-12 mm 30-50 mm
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Deserts & Drylands
Diet Nectar Feeders Predators
Regions Western Europe North America
Conservation Near Threatened Least Concern

Broad-footed Colletes

A rare coastal specialist plasterer bee that forages on sea aster in saltmarsh habitats. It is restricted to a narrow band of habitat along European coasts.

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Did You Know?

Rising sea levels and saltmarsh erosion directly threaten its nesting sites, making it one of the bees most vulnerable to climate change.

Cicada Killer Wasp

A large solitary wasp that provisions its burrow with paralyzed cicadas.

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Did You Know?

A female can carry a cicada weighing more than herself in flight back to her burrow.