Neon Cuckoo Bee vs Green Oak Tortrix

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Neon Cuckoo Bee Green Oak Tortrix
Scientific Name Thyreus nitidulus Tortrix viridana
Order Hymenoptera Lepidoptera
Family Apidae Tortricidae
Size 10-14 mm 20-24 mm wingspan
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Pollen Feeders Herbivores
Regions Australia Europe, Western Asia, North Africa
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Neon Cuckoo Bee

A stunning blue-spotted cleptoparasite that lays eggs in the nests of blue-banded bees. The cuckoo larva hatches first and consumes the host's pollen provisions.

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Did You Know?

Their brilliant blue spots are formed by dense patches of iridescent hairs that mimic the coloring of their host bees.

Green Oak Tortrix

A small bright green moth with pale hindwings that is the most important oak defoliator in Europe. Outbreak years can turn whole oak canopies brown by June.

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Did You Know?

Defoliation by this moth has shaped oak woodland ecology for thousands of years.