Crotch's Bumblebee vs Jewel Wasp Pteromalid

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Crotch's Bumblebee Jewel Wasp Pteromalid
Scientific Name Bombus crotchii Nasonia vitripennis
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Apidae Pteromalidae
Size 10-16 mm 1-2.5 mm
Habitat Heathland Farmland
Diet Nectar Feeders Parasitoids
Regions California, western USA Worldwide
Conservation Endangered Not Evaluated

Crotch's Bumblebee

A western North American bumblebee that has declined by over 90% from its historical range. Once common in California's Central Valley. Threatened by pesticides and habitat loss.

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Did You Know?

Has vanished from most of California's agricultural Central Valley where it was once the dominant bumblebee.

Jewel Wasp Pteromalid

A tiny jewel wasp that parasitizes the pupae of blowflies, flesh flies, and house flies. It is one of the most important model organisms in parasitoid biology and genetics.

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Did You Know?

It has become a genetic model organism rivaling Drosophila, with its entire genome sequenced to study parasitism evolution.