Ichneumon Wasp vs Common Eastern Bumble Bee
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Ichneumon Wasp | Common Eastern Bumble Bee |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Megarhyssa macrurus | Bombus impatiens |
| Order | Hymenoptera | Hymenoptera |
| Family | Ichneumonidae | Apidae |
| Size | 25-50 mm body plus 100+ mm ovipositor | 8-23 mm |
| Habitat | Woodlands | Underground |
| Diet | Parasitoids | Nectar Feeders |
| Regions | North America | Eastern North America |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Ichneumon Wasp
A large parasitoid wasp with an extremely long, thread-like ovipositor that can exceed the length of its body. Females drill through solid wood to reach their host larvae deep inside.
Did You Know?
The female can somehow detect horntail larvae vibrations through several centimeters of solid wood and then drill her flexible ovipositor to reach them with remarkable accuracy.
Common Eastern Bumble Bee
A robust fuzzy bumble bee with a black body and yellow thoracic band that is widely used as a commercial greenhouse pollinator. It is the most abundant bumble bee in eastern North America.
Did You Know?
It can perform buzz pollination by vibrating its flight muscles at a specific frequency to shake pollen from flowers like tomatoes.