Desert Digger Bee vs Pear Fruit Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Desert Digger Bee Pear Fruit Sawfly
Scientific Name Centris pallida Hoplocampa brevis
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Apidae Tenthredinidae
Size 15-22 mm 4-6 mm
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Orchards
Diet Nectar Feeders Fruit Feeders
Regions North America Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Desert Digger Bee

A large, fuzzy solitary bee of the Sonoran Desert that nests in burrows in hard-packed soil. Males patrol nesting areas and dig up emerging females to mate.

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Did You Know?

Males locate females still underground by detecting their scent through the soil surface.

Pear Fruit Sawfly

A small, dark sawfly that is a pest of pear orchards. Larvae bore into developing pear fruitlets, causing premature fruit drop.

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Did You Know?

Infested young pears often show a distinctive entry hole with wet frass, and a single larva may damage two to three fruits before completing development.