Kaup Bess Beetle vs Eastern Yellowjacket
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Kaup Bess Beetle | Eastern Yellowjacket |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Passalus interstitialis | Vespula maculifrons |
| Order | Coleoptera | Hymenoptera |
| Family | Passalidae | Vespidae |
| Size | 30-40 mm | 12-16 mm |
| Habitat | Woodlands | Woodlands |
| Diet | Wood Feeders | Carrion Feeders |
| Regions | Central America, Mexico | Eastern North America from Canada to the Gulf states |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Kaup Bess Beetle
A large, elongate, shiny black bess beetle with prominent mandibles and longitudinal grooves on the elytra. It is the most common Passalid in Central America. Colonies of adults and larvae inhabit decaying logs.
Did You Know?
Bess beetles are subsocial insects where parents and offspring live together and cooperate in maintaining their log galleries.
Eastern Yellowjacket
A common ground-nesting yellowjacket with bold black and yellow banding on its abdomen. It builds large paper nests underground that can contain thousands of workers.
Did You Know?
Its underground nests can grow to the size of a basketball and contain over 4,000 workers by late summer.