Dawson's Burrowing Bee vs Emerald Cockroach Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Dawson's Burrowing Bee Emerald Cockroach Wasp
Scientific Name Amegilla dawsoni Ampulex compressa
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Apidae Ampulicidae
Size 18-24 mm 22 mm
Habitat Heathland Forests
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Western Australia Africa, Asia, Oceania
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Dawson's Burrowing Bee

A large solitary bee endemic to Western Australia that nests in massive aggregations in hardpan clay. Males engage in violent aerial combat to mate with emerging females.

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Did You Know?

Male combat is so fierce that individuals frequently die from injuries sustained during mating battles.

Emerald Cockroach Wasp

A brilliant emerald-green wasp that zombifies cockroaches. It delivers precise stings to the cockroachs brain, removing its escape reflex. Then leads it by the antenna like a dog on a leash.

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Did You Know?

The emerald cockroach wasp performs neurosurgery — it stings a cockroach twice in precise brain locations to disable its escape reflex, then walks it to a burrow like a zombie.