European Hornet vs Common Furrow Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute European Hornet Common Furrow Bee
Scientific Name Vespa crabro Halictus rubicundus
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Vespidae Halictidae
Size 25-35 mm 9-11 mm
Habitat Orchards Underground
Diet Sap Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe, Asia, North America Europe, North America, Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

European Hornet

The largest European wasp, with a brown and yellow striped body and reddish-brown head and thorax. Despite its fearsome appearance, it is relatively docile for a social wasp.

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Did You Know?

European hornets are one of the few wasp species that actively hunt at night, attracted to lights where they capture other insects.

Common Furrow Bee

A widespread sweat bee found across the Northern Hemisphere that displays flexible social behavior. In warmer regions they are primitively eusocial; in colder climates they are solitary.

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Did You Know?

They switch between solitary and social lifestyles depending on latitude and climate, making them key to studying social evolution.