Common Eastern Bumble Bee vs South American Wattle Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Common Eastern Bumble Bee South American Wattle Sawfly
Scientific Name Bombus impatiens Arge pullata
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Apidae Argidae
Size 8-23 mm 7-10 mm
Habitat Underground Farmland
Diet Nectar Feeders Herbivores
Regions Eastern North America Southern Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Common Eastern Bumble Bee

A robust fuzzy bumble bee with a black body and yellow thoracic band that is widely used as a commercial greenhouse pollinator. It is the most abundant bumble bee in eastern North America.

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Did You Know?

It can perform buzz pollination by vibrating its flight muscles at a specific frequency to shake pollen from flowers like tomatoes.

South American Wattle Sawfly

A shiny black argid sawfly that feeds on wattle (Acacia) trees. Larvae are green with dark dorsal markings and can cause significant defoliation.

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Did You Know?

This species is one of the relatively few argid sawflies found in Africa, where the family is less diverse than in other continents.