Gwynne's Mining Bee vs Currant Stem Girdler

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Gwynne's Mining Bee Currant Stem Girdler
Scientific Name Andrena bicolor Janus integer
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Andrenidae Cephidae
Size 8-10 mm 8-11 mm
Habitat Grasslands Underground
Diet Fruit Feeders Omnivores
Regions Europe, Western Asia North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Gwynne's Mining Bee

A small, common mining bee with a two-toned appearance: dark brown thorax and orange-brown abdominal hair. It produces two generations per year in most of its range.

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Did You Know?

Its two annual generations visit completely different sets of flowers, with spring bees favoring trees and summer bees preferring brambles.

Currant Stem Girdler

A slender black stem sawfly that attacks currant and gooseberry bushes. Females girdle the stem tips with their ovipositor, causing them to wilt.

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Did You Know?

The female girdles the stem above the egg insertion point, causing the tip to wilt and die, which provides the larva with softened stem tissue to feed on.