Hornfaced Bee vs European Beewolf

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Hornfaced Bee European Beewolf
Scientific Name Osmia cornifrons Philanthus triangulum
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Megachilidae Crabronidae
Size 10-14 mm 12-18 mm
Habitat Orchards Beaches & Coastal
Diet Fruit Feeders Predators
Regions East Asia, North America Western Europe, Central Europe, Southern Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Hornfaced Bee

A robust reddish-brown solitary bee native to Japan, widely used for fruit tree pollination. Females have small horn-like projections on the face.

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Did You Know?

In Japan it has been commercially managed for apple pollination since the 1940s.

European Beewolf

A large, striking yellow-and-black solitary wasp that specialises in hunting honeybees. Females paralyse bees in flight and carry them back to sandy burrow nests.

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Did You Know?

Females embalm their honeybee prey with an antifungal secretion to keep it fresh for their larvae.