Leaf-Rolling Rose Sawfly vs Variable Cuckoo Bumble Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Leaf-Rolling Rose Sawfly Variable Cuckoo Bumble Bee
Scientific Name Blennocampa phyllocolpa Bombus variabilis
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Tenthredinidae Apidae
Size 3-5 mm 15-22 mm
Habitat Underground Grasslands
Diet Herbivores Parasites
Regions Europe, introduced to North America Central and Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Critically Endangered

Leaf-Rolling Rose Sawfly

A tiny black sawfly that causes rose leaflets to roll downward into tight cylinders. The larva feeds inside the rolled leaf shelter.

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Did You Know?

The female injects a chemical into the leaf margin during egg-laying that causes the leaf to roll tightly, creating a protective tube for the developing larva.

Variable Cuckoo Bumble Bee

A rare social parasite bumble bee that takes over colonies of other Bombus species in North America. Queens invade host nests, kill the resident queen, and enslave her workers.

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Did You Know?

It produces no workers of its own and depends entirely on the labor of its host species to raise its offspring.