Large Garden Bumble Bee vs Saharan Carpenter Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Large Garden Bumble Bee Saharan Carpenter Ant
Scientific Name Bombus ruderatus Camponotus aegyptiacus
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Apidae Formicidae
Size 14-24 mm 8-14 mm
Habitat Farmland Deserts & Drylands
Diet Nectar Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Europe, New Zealand, South America Africa, Middle East
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Large Garden Bumble Bee

A long-tongued bumble bee introduced to New Zealand in the early 1900s to pollinate red clover. They have one of the longest tongues of any bumble bee species.

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Did You Know?

They were intentionally shipped from England to New Zealand because they were the only bees with tongues long enough to pollinate red clover.

Saharan Carpenter Ant

A large black carpenter ant found in desert habitats from Egypt to Arabia. It nests in soil rather than wood due to the scarcity of timber in its range.

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Did You Know?

Workers forage at night to avoid the extreme daytime heat and can navigate using the Milky Way.