Buffish Mining Bee vs Willow Bean-Gall Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Buffish Mining Bee Willow Bean-Gall Sawfly
Scientific Name Andrena nigroaenea Pontania proxima
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Andrenidae Tenthredinidae
Size 12-15 mm 3-5 mm
Habitat Underground Wetlands
Diet Fruit Feeders Herbivores
Regions Europe, North Africa Europe, Western Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Buffish Mining Bee

A large mining bee with a dark metallic body and buff-brown thoracic fur. It is one of the main hosts of the early-flying nomada cuckoo bees.

💡

Did You Know?

It sometimes nests in dense aggregations of hundreds of burrows per square meter, creating a moonscape appearance on lawns.

Willow Bean-Gall Sawfly

A tiny sawfly that induces distinctive bean-shaped galls on the leaves of various willow species. Each gall contains a single larva feeding on internal gall tissue.

💡

Did You Know?

The gall-inducing chemicals secreted by the larva redirect the plant's growth to create a nutrient-rich chamber specifically for the larva's benefit.