Cape Honey Bee vs Giant Orange Ichneumon

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cape Honey Bee Giant Orange Ichneumon
Scientific Name Apis mellifera capensis Netelia producta
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Apidae Ichneumonidae
Size Workers 11-13 mm 15-22 mm
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Woodlands
Diet Nectar Feeders Parasitoids
Regions South Africa (Western Cape, Eastern Cape) North America
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.

Giant Orange Ichneumon

A large, uniformly orange ichneumon wasp commonly attracted to lights. It parasitizes caterpillars of owlet moths and geometrid moths.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the most frequently encountered ichneumon wasps at porch lights across North America during summer.