Fulvus Driver Ant vs Variable Cuckoo Bumble Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Fulvus Driver Ant Variable Cuckoo Bumble Bee
Scientific Name Dorylus fulvus Bombus variabilis
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Dorylidae Apidae
Size 3-12 mm 15-22 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Grasslands
Diet Omnivores Parasites
Regions West Africa (Senegal, Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast) Central and Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Critically Endangered

Fulvus Driver Ant

A predominantly subterranean driver ant species with yellowish-brown coloration. Unlike some congeners, it rarely forms above-ground raiding columns. Colonies construct extensive underground tunnel networks.

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Did You Know?

This species is sometimes called the 'blind ant' because workers have completely lost their eyes during evolution.

Variable Cuckoo Bumble Bee

A rare social parasite bumble bee that takes over colonies of other Bombus species in North America. Queens invade host nests, kill the resident queen, and enslave her workers.

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Did You Know?

It produces no workers of its own and depends entirely on the labor of its host species to raise its offspring.