Cape Honey Bee vs Brevipalpis Tsetse Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cape Honey Bee Brevipalpis Tsetse Fly
Scientific Name Apis mellifera capensis Glossina brevipalpis
Order Hymenoptera Diptera
Family Apidae Glossinidae
Size Workers 11-13 mm 12-16 mm
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Beaches & Coastal
Diet Nectar Feeders Blood Feeders
Regions South Africa (Western Cape, Eastern Cape) East Africa (Kenya coast, Tanzania, Uganda)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Cape Honey Bee

A unique honey bee subspecies where workers can lay diploid female eggs without mating. It is restricted to the winter rainfall region of South Africa.

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Did You Know?

Worker bees of this subspecies can clone themselves through a rare reproductive process called thelytokous parthenogenesis.

Brevipalpis Tsetse Fly

The largest species of tsetse fly, with a robust body and short palps from which its name derives. It inhabits thicket and coastal bush habitats.

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Did You Know?

Despite its large size, it is a relatively weak vector of trypanosomiasis compared to other tsetse species.