Colorado Leaf Beetle vs Southeastern Blueberry Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Colorado Leaf Beetle Southeastern Blueberry Bee
Scientific Name Leptinotarsa juncta Habropoda laboriosa
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Chrysomelidae Apidae
Size 8-11 mm 12-15 mm
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Deserts & Drylands
Diet Herbivores Pollen Feeders
Regions Southeastern United States Southeastern United States from Virginia to Florida and west to Mississippi
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Colorado Leaf Beetle

A close relative of the Colorado potato beetle with similar striped elytra but alternating dark and light brown stripes rather than black and yellow. It feeds on native horsenettle.

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Did You Know?

Unlike its notorious relative the Colorado potato beetle, this species has not adapted to crop plants and remains relatively harmless to agriculture.

Southeastern Blueberry Bee

A fuzzy native bee that is the most efficient pollinator of blueberry flowers in North America. It uses buzz pollination to shake pollen loose from blueberry blossoms.

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Did You Know?

A single female can pollinate enough blueberry flowers to produce over a gallon of blueberries in her lifetime.