Metaphycus Scale Parasitoid vs Honey Bee
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Metaphycus Scale Parasitoid | Honey Bee |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Metaphycus helvolus | Apis mellifera |
| Order | Hymenoptera | Hymenoptera |
| Family | Encyrtidae | Apidae |
| Size | 1-1.5 mm | 12-15 mm |
| Habitat | Orchards | Heathland |
| Diet | Parasitoids | Nectar Feeders |
| Regions | Worldwide (introduced for biocontrol) | Worldwide |
| Conservation | Not Evaluated | Least Concern |
Metaphycus Scale Parasitoid
A golden-yellow parasitoid wasp that attacks black scale and other soft scale insects on citrus and olive trees. It is one of the most widely used encyrtids in commercial biological control.
Did You Know?
Adults also feed directly on young scale insects by piercing them with their ovipositor, killing hosts through both parasitism and host-feeding.
Honey Bee
The worlds most important pollinator. Lives in complex colonies of up to 80,000 individuals with a single queen. Communicates food locations through the waggle dance.
Did You Know?
A honey bee must visit about 2 million flowers and fly over 88,000 km — equivalent to circling the Earth twice — to produce just one pound of honey.