Cuckoo Bee vs Lunate Ichneumon
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Cuckoo Bee | Lunate Ichneumon |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Nomada flava | Megarhyssa greenei |
| Order | Hymenoptera | Hymenoptera |
| Family | Apidae | Ichneumonidae |
| Size | 8-11 mm | 25-40 mm body, ovipositor up to 80 mm |
| Habitat | Meadows | Woodlands |
| Diet | Pollen Feeders | Parasitoids |
| Regions | Europe, Asia | North America |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Cuckoo Bee
A slender, wasp-like bee with yellow and black banding that lacks pollen-collecting structures. It is a brood parasite that sneaks into the nests of mining bees to lay its eggs.
Did You Know?
Like cuckoo birds, these bees lay their eggs in the nests of other bee species, where the cuckoo larva kills the host egg and consumes all the stored food.
Lunate Ichneumon
A reddish-brown parasitoid wasp native to North America. It targets horntail larvae in hardwood trees and uses its long ovipositor to reach them.
Did You Know?
It is the smallest of the three North American Megarhyssa species but still impressively large.