Ensign Wasp vs Gypsy Cuckoo Bumble Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Ensign Wasp Gypsy Cuckoo Bumble Bee
Scientific Name Evania appendigaster Bombus bohemicus
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Evaniidae Apidae
Size 5-7 mm 15-22 mm
Habitat Woodlands Underground
Diet Parasitoids Pollen Feeders
Regions Africa, Asia, North America, South America Europe, Northern Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Ensign Wasp

A parasitoid wasp that targets cockroach egg cases and helps control pest populations.

💡

Did You Know?

It bobs its flag-like abdomen up and down as it walks, resembling a tiny flag bearer.

Gypsy Cuckoo Bumble Bee

A social parasite that invades colonies of other bumble bees, killing the queen and enslaving the workers. Females lack pollen baskets since they never collect pollen themselves.

💡

Did You Know?

After killing the host queen, the cuckoo female forces the orphaned workers to raise her own offspring instead.