Hawaiian Easy Yellow-faced Bee vs Jet Black Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Hawaiian Easy Yellow-faced Bee Jet Black Ant
Scientific Name Hylaeus facilis Lasius fuliginosus
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Colletidae Formicidae
Size 6-9 mm 4-6 mm
Habitat Farmland Woodlands
Diet Pollen Feeders Fungus Feeders
Regions Oceania (Hawaii) Europe, Western Asia
Conservation Endangered Least Concern

Hawaiian Easy Yellow-faced Bee

An endemic Hawaiian bee found across several of the main Hawaiian islands. It is a generalist pollinator that visits a variety of native and non-native flowers. Like other Hawaiian Hylaeus, it carries pollen internally in its crop rather than on external body hairs.

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Did You Know?

Unlike most bees, Hawaiian yellow-faced bees swallow pollen and carry it in their crop, regurgitating it to provision their nest cells.

Jet Black Ant

A shiny jet-black ant that builds carton nests inside hollow trees using chewed wood mixed with honeydew. It cultivates a specific fungus that strengthens the nest walls.

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Did You Know?

The fungus Cladosporium myrmecophilum grows exclusively in the carton nests of this ant species.