Malagasy Orchid Bee vs Yellow Crazy Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Malagasy Orchid Bee Yellow Crazy Ant
Scientific Name Liotrigona madecassa Anoplolepis gracilipes
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Apidae Formicidae
Size 3-5 mm 4-5 mm
Habitat Farmland Beaches & Coastal
Diet Nectar Feeders Fruit Feeders
Regions Madagascar Southeast Asia, Pacific Islands, Indian Ocean Islands, Australia
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Malagasy Orchid Bee

A tiny stingless bee that is one of Madagascar's most important pollinators. It has a black body with pale wing membranes and forms colonies in hollow tree trunks.

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Did You Know?

Local communities harvest its honey, called 'tantely kely' in Malagasy, which is prized for its distinctive floral flavor and medicinal properties.

Yellow Crazy Ant

A long-legged, fast-moving invasive ant named for its erratic running pattern. They form supercolonies with multiple queens that can devastate island ecosystems.

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Did You Know?

On Christmas Island they killed millions of native red crabs, fundamentally altering the island's entire ecosystem.