Giant Honey Bee vs Pipe-organ Mud Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Giant Honey Bee Pipe-organ Mud Wasp
Scientific Name Apis dorsata Trypoxylon figulus
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Apidae Crabronidae
Size 17-20 mm 8-12 mm
Habitat Forests Underground
Diet Nectar Feeders Predators
Regions Asia Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Giant Honey Bee

The largest honey bee species, building huge exposed single-comb nests on cliff faces and tall buildings. Colonies can contain up to 100,000 workers.

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Did You Know?

When threatened, the colony performs a mesmerizing shimmering defense wave that ripples across the nest surface to deter predators.

Pipe-organ Mud Wasp

A slender black solitary wasp that builds mud-tube nests in hollow stems and holes, provisioning them with paralyzed spiders. Named for the organ-pipe arrangement of its mud cells.

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Did You Know?

Builds multiple tube-shaped mud cells arranged like the pipes of a church organ.