Honey Bee vs Introduced Pine Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Honey Bee Introduced Pine Sawfly
Scientific Name Apis mellifera Diprion similis
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Apidae Diprionidae
Size 12-15 mm 7-10 mm (adult)
Habitat Heathland Farmland
Diet Nectar Feeders Omnivores
Regions Worldwide Europe, North America
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Honey Bee

The worlds most important pollinator. Lives in complex colonies of up to 80,000 individuals with a single queen. Communicates food locations through the waggle dance.

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Did You Know?

A honey bee must visit about 2 million flowers and fly over 88,000 km — equivalent to circling the Earth twice — to produce just one pound of honey.

Introduced Pine Sawfly

A European sawfly introduced to North America that feeds on white pine and other five-needled pines. Larvae feed gregariously and can heavily defoliate trees.

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Did You Know?

It was first detected in Connecticut in 1914 and quickly spread across northeastern North America.