Golden Paper Wasp vs Flesh Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Golden Paper Wasp Flesh Fly
Scientific Name Polistes fuscatus Sarcophaga carnaria
Order Hymenoptera Diptera
Family Vespidae Sarcophagidae
Size 15-21 mm 10-18 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Fruit Feeders Carrion Feeders
Regions Eastern North America Europe, Asia, North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Golden Paper Wasp

A social wasp with highly variable facial markings used for individual recognition. It builds open paper nests under eaves and in sheltered spots.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the few invertebrates scientifically proven to recognize individual faces.

Flesh Fly

A large gray fly with three black longitudinal stripes on the thorax and a checkered abdomen. Unlike most flies, females give birth to live larvae rather than laying eggs.

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Did You Know?

Flesh flies are larviparous, depositing live first-instar maggots directly onto food sources, giving their offspring a developmental head start over egg-laying competitors.