Large Scabious Mining Bee vs Blue Cuckoo Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Large Scabious Mining Bee Blue Cuckoo Wasp
Scientific Name Andrena hattorfiana Trichrysis cyanea
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Andrenidae Chrysididae
Size 14-17 mm 5-8 mm
Habitat Farmland Woodlands
Diet Pollen Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Europe Europe, Asia
Conservation Vulnerable Least Concern

Large Scabious Mining Bee

One of the largest European mining bees with a striking red abdomen loaded with pink pollen. It is a specialist of field scabious flowers.

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Did You Know?

Females can carry a huge ball of bright pink scabious pollen on their hind legs that is visible from several meters away.

Blue Cuckoo Wasp

A uniformly deep blue metallic cuckoo wasp found across Europe and Asia. It parasitizes various cavity-nesting wasps and bees in dead wood and walls.

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Did You Know?

Its entirely blue coloration without any red or gold makes it one of the most distinctive cuckoo wasps in Europe.