Grey-patched Mining Bee vs Jewel Wasp Pteromalid

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Grey-patched Mining Bee Jewel Wasp Pteromalid
Scientific Name Andrena nitida Nasonia vitripennis
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Andrenidae Pteromalidae
Size 10-13 mm 1-2.5 mm
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Farmland
Diet Fruit Feeders Parasitoids
Regions Europe Worldwide
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Grey-patched Mining Bee

A glossy black bee with patches of grey hair on the thorax. It is one of the earliest spring-flying solitary bees in Europe.

💡

Did You Know?

It is a key pollinator of blackthorn, which produces sloe berries used to make sloe gin.

Jewel Wasp Pteromalid

A tiny jewel wasp that parasitizes the pupae of blowflies, flesh flies, and house flies. It is one of the most important model organisms in parasitoid biology and genetics.

💡

Did You Know?

It has become a genetic model organism rivaling Drosophila, with its entire genome sequenced to study parasitism evolution.