German Scorpionfly vs Eastern Yellowjacket

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute German Scorpionfly Eastern Yellowjacket
Scientific Name Panorpa germanica Vespula maculifrons
Order Mecoptera Hymenoptera
Family Panorpidae Vespidae
Size 12-16 mm 12-16 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Carrion Feeders Carrion Feeders
Regions Europe Eastern North America from Canada to the Gulf states
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

German Scorpionfly

A scorpionfly with bold wing markings found in shaded woodland habitats across central Europe. Like other Panorpa species, it has a distinctive elongated face.

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Did You Know?

German scorpionflies frequently steal prey from spider webs, delicately plucking trapped insects without becoming ensnared themselves.

Eastern Yellowjacket

A common ground-nesting yellowjacket with bold black and yellow banding on its abdomen. It builds large paper nests underground that can contain thousands of workers.

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Did You Know?

Its underground nests can grow to the size of a basketball and contain over 4,000 workers by late summer.